


Best Drunk Decision Ever

by countrygirlsfun



Series: Decisions, Decisions [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Hale Fire, Assault, College Student Stiles, Disney References, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Kidnapping, Laura Hale & Stiles Stilinski Friendship, M/M, POV Alternating, POV Derek, POV Stiles, Panic Attacks, Past Sexual Assault, The Hale Family, Torture, at all, description is not graphic, wrong window fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-30
Updated: 2015-02-04
Packaged: 2018-01-27 03:18:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 22,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1713026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/countrygirlsfun/pseuds/countrygirlsfun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek crawls through the wrong window drunk.</p>
<p>Life goes on, most definitely better than anticipated.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Whoops

**Author's Note:**

> So it's a 'wrong window au'
> 
>  
> 
> Somehow its over 20k words
> 
> Just roll with it
> 
>  
> 
> Also, now with a sequel in the works

New city new home. Well, kind of a new city. It was the next town over from Beacon Hills. It's maybe an hour drive. Probably closer to 45 minutes. It was close enough to visit but far enough that Derek's family would stay away. Despite being surrounded by his pack he still felt alone. Somehow this translated into getting away from the pack for a while.

Laura had been all excited that Derek was going back to get his masters that she moved with him. She said it was to keep an eye on him but really she just wanted to get away from the family after her last boyfriend fiasco. Derek couldn't say much though. He'd been dating Kate Argent and Laura had been dating Chris Argent.

How adorable everyone said.

Siblings dating siblings.

Ugh.

Yeah turned out werewolves were dating hunters.

Derek had figured it out far too long after he'd grown to have real feelings for Kate but not long enough to be used in her plans. So he was humiliated and needed to get away from his (thankfully, alive) family and Laura decided to tag along.

They were set up in a nice town home not too far from the school but not right on campus. It was in a development conveniently nestled on the edge of the surrounding forest. So entirely similar to Beacon Hills and they wouldn't have to deal with any drunken college students this way.

He picked the room above the front door. He always liked waking up with the sun and the room faced east. They unpacked their bedrooms for a little while before they worked on the kitchen together. Derek wasn't much of a cook but he knew he'd want a decent breakfast tomorrow so he got everything lined up before he continued to unpack the basic things they'd need by tomorrow.

He was putting the last of his stuff in his shower when Laura came up behind him.

"So there's a bar a few blocks away that apparently has a great selection of scotch. Wanna come with?"

Hmm, scotch. Yeah he could go for a drink. Take the edge off the day and relax.

"Sure, it’s for us right? It’s a shifter bar?"  
"You think I'd suggest a regular bar?"  
"Point."

So Laura and Derek made their way down to the shifter bar. It was a hole in the wall type place really but apparently they were known for their particularly potent method of wolfs bane infusion. After a few, well, after a lot of drinks Derek was sick of the crowd and thinking and he just wanted to sleep. So he ends up stumbling home.

Drunk. Alone. A drunk werewolf in a new city headed to his brand new house alone.

Smart move, real smart.

So he manages to find his street and pulls himself towards the door. _Huh, it's locked._ No use fighting with keys he'll just struggle to get them into the lock and drop them. So he jumps up to the roof outside the second story window.

_My room_ he thinks to himself as he slides the window up slowly and he eases himself in before his foot catches and he flops gracelessly to the floor. He huffs at himself. At least Laura didn't hear that. She's still at the shifter club chatting up that guy. Ugh. All sorts of things about that guy make Derek bristle. The way he looks at her. The way he holds himself. Ugh his opinions.

_Focus Derek. Focus._

_Get yourself to the bed before you pass out_.

He pulls himself up off the floor, peels out of his shirt and flops down onto the bed. Kicks his shoes off before he gives in and passes out. His last thought is something like "I don't remember my bed feeling this big."

\---

Same city new home. For Stiles it wasn't all that exciting. Okay, it was exciting. He'd been living in this city just one city away from Beacon Hills for the last 4-ish years and he was finally moving away from living right by campus and was getting a place that wasn't a shitty apartment but a newish town home. With a mailbox. And a driveway. And it was clean. And he had his own room; his own space to be away from his werewolf roommate sometimes.

Not that he always wanted to be away from him because really he was rarely around. Scott and Allison had been dating since high school but they were still attached at the hip it seemed. And truth be told Stiles was lonely. He just wanted to not feel so alone.

But he was still really excited about his own room, ok?

He'd chosen the bedroom over the front door on the second floor. It faced east. He always liked rooms that faced east. As much as he would deny it college made him into a morning person. He'd wake up with the sun and get lots of work done. Some days he'd sneak in a mid-morning nap before Scott even woke up the first time.

So as excited as he was to have this new grown up place he just wanted to stay in and get a little organized and then sleep. This was hard to explain to Scott as he had decided that they were going out.

They were celebrating! New place! New part of town! Perfect reasoning to go get drunk.

After a brief argument, Scott left alone headed to the one bar that served wolfs bane infused alcohol. Stiles settled into unpacking mode. He made his bed first thing so he had somewhere to crash and he wouldn't have to think about making his bed exhausted. Then he got some of his clothes into his dresser. Leaving the ones that needed to be hung for tomorrow. He then set up his bathroom. (Which not having to share his shower with a werewolf anymore, holy man was he ready for that) Put his shampoo conditioner and body wash in the shower. Hand soap by the sink. Adderall and Tylenol in the medicine cabinet. Oversized and well stocked first aid kit under the sink with the extra toilet paper. Next step was the kitchen. He pulled enough out of the kitchen boxes to make toast in the morning before moving on to the living room.

When he found himself trying to plug the speakers into the front of the speaker system instead of the back he decided it was time for sleep.

He locked the front door and hauled himself up the stairs. Grabbed clean sweats and boxer briefs and left them on his desk. He grabbed a towel from a random box and made his way to his new werewolf free shower. The water pressure was wonderful not to mention the amount of hot water he had at his disposal now. He stayed in there just long enough to where the warmth was lulling him to sleep. He shut the water off and wrapped his towel around his waist.

He opened the door back into his bedroom and stopped cold.

The window was open and somebody ( _not Scott_ ) was in his bed.

Stiles grabbed his clothes and got dressed quickly. He quietly approached the man ( _wow are those shoulders real?_ ) and heard a soft little snore.

Great.  
He's asleep.

Stiles shook the guys well-muscled shoulder. The guy didn't even flinch but Stiles did. Sleeping Beauty was hot.

Ok yes he did have an admirable back going on with the shoulders and the tattoo and the muscular waist...off topic. His skin was warm. Like Scott warm.

Awh man.

That is his life.

Judging by the smell of scotch and wolfs bane emanating from the dude Stiles had a drunk werewolf on his bed. Whatever. Stiles knew how to deal with this anyway: let him sleep it off and they'd find out if he was a "I'll kill you, you know my secret" type or a "you can live puny human you are no threat" type in the morning. With that Stiles pulled his comforter to wrap around the guy and grabbed his extra blanket before heading to the couch. He set his alarm on his phone for 7 (he'd sleep in, new house all that jazz) and fell asleep in no time.

\---

Derek woke up slowly. He was expecting the room to smell unfamiliar because, well first night in a new place. But what was weird was his bed smelled...not like him. It smelled vaguely of pack but not him, hardly at all and even that could just be from him sleeping on it.

Hmm.

His eyes fluttered open.

_Could've sworn my comforter was grey, not blue._

He moved his hands up to push himself off the mystery bed when he heard a piece of paper crinkle. He grabbed it as he sat up trying to understand what was going on but his brain was moving slower than molasses. He scrubbed his hands down his face and through his hair once before he was alert enough to look at the note. It read:

"Morning dude. Somehow last night you decided you'd climb in through my window and hog the bed. No big deal. You were passed out by the time I found you. Hope you slept well it's a comfy bed right? There's a bottle of water and a bottle of Advil on the desk for you and I'll be making brunch around 10:30. If you wake up in time feel free to come downstairs and eat."

Halfway through the note Derek's brain came fully online. He'd gone to the wrong house. He was in his neighbor’s house.

_oh my god I have to go apologize_.

Brunch? Seriously? Brunch is the _best_. Clearly someone else understands. How was he supposed to turn down brunch?

He checked the clock 10:09. He could go apologize and leave if whoever wanted him to. Or he could have brunch.

What is his life.

He grabbed his shirt and was about to pull it on just as the door opened. In walked a vaguely familiar guy casually wielding a baseball bat. He had short-ish brown hair that just needed fingers pulled through it, big brown eyes, upturned nose and moles on his cheeks. He was nearly as tall as Derek was and had broad shoulders and a chest that tapered down to a slimmer waist. Where on Derek there was no taper, Captain Americas chest to waist ratio he did not have. Not that he was complaining about himself, he was pretty happy with his physique.

Regardless, he was just about to get lost admiring long, agile looking legs when the guy cleared his throat.

Derek's eyes snapped back to his face and realized he hadn't exactly been subtle and blushed to match the guys pink tipped ears.

 

"I'm- I'm sorry I think I live next door but we just moved in yesterday and my sister and I had gone out and I was drunk and I thought I was climbing into my room and my bed...even though I noticed it was bigger than mine but I didn't question it annd now I'm standing here in your room half naked and starving and hung over and hi."

 

Derek was completely flustered and blushing and god this guy was attractive and Derek just really needed to get the hell out of there he was embarrassed enough. Then the guy burst into laughter. And Derek was about to turn for the window before the guy spoke.

"Hey dude I'm sorry I just. Wow. Ok. Don't worry about the drunk sleeping part. Coincidentally, It's not the first time a werewolf has followed Scott's scent instead of their own pack's, which is ironic in its own sense. But, the dudes all sorts of cuddly and nice, I guess it's a safe thing to track."

Derek was shocked to say the least because, how the hell did you know I was a werewolf?  
The guy chuckled and oh he'd said that out loud.

"I went to shake you awake and you were warm. Like really warm. And I've dealt with enough wolfs bane and Scott coming home drunk on the stuff to know what it smells like. Humans don't drink that and/or wouldn't get served that shit. It messes humans up, let me tell you. Plus you're eyes flashed when I opened the door. Should I be concerned that they're blue?"

Derek- Derek's brain was not working. His new gorgeous neighbor was not only apparently nice as hell but he knew about werewolves. Derek really didn't know what to do at this point. Like, at all he's stuck. And it was written all over his face for the guy to see.

"Uuuhh.."  
"Well since it appears you’re not the "kill him he knows the secret" type why don't you put your shirt on and come have brunch. I'm Stiles by the way."

Derek took the offered hand and shook it before he found his voice again.

"Der-" damn voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. "I'm Derek."  
"Nice to meet you Derek, I'm thinking either French toast or pancakes, thoughts?"

And with that Derek was left to stumble after the guy towards the kitchen.

\---

Sleeping Beauty- Derek- (and why was that familiar?) had put his shirt on and sadly covered his (hnng) his chest and those abs, _oh god focus_ and picked French Toast for brunch. Which, just another mark in the 'wow you're amazing' column for this guy. Stiles had woken up and decided to go grocery shopping while to stores were empty. So now he had everything to make the best goddamn French toast brunch ever.

As they stepped out of his room Scott met them on the landing. And in true Scott fashion said,

"Dude, you didn't even go out last night and still ended up with someone in your bed. How is that even fair?"

He felt the blush crawl up his neck into his ears again.

"Like it matters to you! You have Allison!"

Scott sighed happily and turned to Derek.

"True. Are you staying for food? He’s weirdly attached to breakfast food at all times of the day. I'm Scott by the way."

Judging by the way Scott's nose flared when they shook hands he's just figured out the whole picture.

"You're a werewolf!"  
"I don't normally shout that fact about myself," Derek seemed slightly annoyed, "but yeah I am."  
"Oh sorry."  
"It's, it's fine. I'm Derek. And last night I just, climbed in the wrong window and fell asleep. Nothing else happened-"

Poor guy looked shocked and appalled at himself.

"Nothing else right- I- I didn't-"

Oh man, hot like steaming guy is upstanding and a decent person? Stiles is in so so much trouble.

"Dude, no. You were asleep when I got out of the shower and found you. I just pulled the comforter over you after you didn't wake up and I slept on the couch."

Derek visibly relaxed at that.

"So which one of you is going to help me get ready and who's going to do the dishes after?"

Scott being the honest bro that he is offers to do the dishes because the dude would burn everything if he would help cook.

"I don't really cook a lot."  
"No worries, you can't be worse than Scott. How often do you burn stuff cooking?"  
"Uh, I don't know every couple of months or so?"  
"See? _Miles_ ahead of Scott. _Every_ time he tries to cook or bake the alarms are going off and smoke is billowing out of our apartment."


	2. Brunch (aka best meal of the day)

As they talked they made their way to the kitchen. Stiles started pulling all the pans and dishes out to make his concoctions and Derek went to the fridge to pull out ingredients.

"What all should i get besides the eggs, bread, bacon and sausage?"  
"There are potatoes and apples in the bag next to the stove there? Yeah. Wanna wash them up and start peeling?"

Derek sat at the table with the produce after he washed it all. Least he could do after accosting the guy’s bed would be to help make breakfast. And it wasn’t a terrible way to meet the neighbors. All things considered. While Stiles was at the stove starting in on getting things set up Scott was rummaging through boxes and passing out utensils and dishes. Every now and then Stiles would interrupt his unpacking efforts to correct his organization. Guy was trying but clearly it was Stiles kitchen not his.

"Can you start with the potatoes? We need to boil them first."

Derek just sat there and soon he had a bowl for the potatoes a bucket for the peels and a knife from Scott. Stiles and Scott made small conversation as it was clear that Derek and Scott were still not fully awake and recovered from their prior evenings. After Derek got through a dozen potatoes he was stopped with Stiles handing him a pot big enough to handle the potatoes. Derek filled it with water and put it on the stove to boil.

He turned to ask Stiles what to do next and he was chest to chest with him.

_Oh god. Full face blushing is even more attractive than when his ears turned pink._

Derek is so screwed here. But he must be blushing too because Stiles just scoots past and Derek finds his chair at the table again. Stiles clears his throat before he says,

“Um if you could peel the apples while I work on the potatoes and the meat that’d be perfect.”

Derek nods and grabs his knife again to start in on the sack of bright red apples. Scott has managed to put all the pots and pans and cookie sheets and cake pans and oh man Stiles really must cook. He’s got mixing bowls and mixers and utensils Derek has never seen before let alone know how to use. There’s a whole box within the big box with just knives.

Holy god.

Stiles with knives.

Those _hands_ , how was he just noticing the hands?

But Scott looked wary when he passed the box over. He turned to Derek and explained.

“I still don’t know how the clumsiest person I know can use a knife like he does. He for real will trip over air but has never cut himself cooking, hunting, fighting. Nothing. Never. Its mind boggling dude.”

Clumsy? Stiles seemed so…graceful so far this morning in the kitchen. He couldn’t picture him being clumsy. He loses track of time as he sits and peels apples and watches Stiles flit around the kitchen muttering to himself. When he’s got them all peeled he tries to ask if Stiles wants the apples sliced but just like he knows that Derek was about to speak Stiles turns around with a paring knife of his own and plops down next to Derek.

“Help me slice?”  
“Course.”

  
Stiles smirks.

“So Derek, are you new to this fair city or just a new place?”

Derek shakes his head.

“New to the city but not the area, my family is back in Beacon Hills it’s this—“  
“Beacon Hills? Wait- wait.”

Stiles eyes light up in recognition as they widen in shock.

“Derek Hale.”

He half whispers like he can’t believe it. His jaw is half way to the table and Scott’s head had snapped up from the box he was unpacking.

“Uh, yeah?”

Stiles shakes his head.

“That’s where I recognize you from. Dude, we’re from Beacon Hills. My dad is the sheriff. Sheriff Stilinski?”  
“Oh. Wait, Stiles?”

 _Oh no. No no. This was not happening._ He was not making goddam _brunch_ with the sheriffs kid. This kid—

“You’re trying to picture me as a skinny little high school freshman and you should stop. It will only be painful for all parties involved.”

Derek huffed. Wasn’t a bad picture but it was nothing to what he was looking at now.

“Fair enough. So what do you guys do?”  
“Well, Scott’s almost done acing the pre-vet course work and I’m starting a criminology master’s program this fall now. What about you?”

Impressive is all Derek can think.

“Uhm,”

  
You know escaping crazy hunter ex and avoiding slightly disappointed family.

“I’m starting to work towards a Master’s in History this fall. And Laura is, well. I don’t really know she’s kinda just here.”  
“Interesting. Do you look at history differently being a werewolf? I mean, do you have other history books that have the real full supernatural version of everything that’s happened in the history of ever?”

Derek chuckles.

“Yes and no. we have some resources that hint and allude to werewolf involvement or influence but mostly it’s one of those, “does it really matter?” things because either way cool stuff happened and bad stuff happened and we should learn from it regardless of supernatural involvement.”

Stiles gets this genuine soft smile before he says,

“Well said, dude.”

They return to their task only to realize the apples have all been sliced. At this point Stiles scoops up the apples and directs Derek to help Scott set the table. Scott and Derek work on getting the dishes and cups and glasses unpacked into the cupboards after setting the table while Stiles weaves through them to make what appears to be a monstrous brunch.

Derek had left his phone on the table and halfway through the second box of dishes it buzzes. He ignores it until it buzzes again a minute later. And then again. And again.

“Seriously Derek answer your phone.”

Derek puts the plates he’d grabbed away and walks over to see increasingly frantic messages from Laura not knowing where he is.

  
“So?” Stiles asks.  
“My sister. She must have just woke up and noticed I wasn’t there.”  
“Invite her over. We’ll have enough for all of you bottomless wolf pits.”  
“You sure?”  
“Yeah dude.”

\---

So Stiles is apparently making a meet-the-neighbors brunch. Which is really fine with him, because it means he gets to cook. And cook a lot. And with the stress of school starting soon the relief he’s getting from the cooking and the slicing and the frying and the seasoning is just plain wonderful. Not to mention he’s getting nothing but good vibes off this unfairly attractive man that spent quality time in Stiles bed.

Ok so he was just sleeping in it. Alone. Whatever leave him alone. No way he’d ever get someone that good looking to notice him anyway. He’d come to grips with that a while back and while he likes how he looks he gets that he’s not everyone’s cup of tea. He’d just like to be someone’s. Just one. That’s all.

Anyway.

Now his sister Laura is coming and Stiles can’t decide what this will be like. Because Derek will talk enough if asked a question but the dude just seemed content to sit in silence while Stiles muttered or directed Scott around the kitchen.

Stiles has the potatoes diced and seasoned and broiling. He’s got the apples frying in some butter with cinnamon brown sugar and lemon juice. He’s got the sausage and bacon all cooked and crispy and waiting covered in the microwave so when there’s a knock at the door he waves at Derek to go get it and tells Scott to add another place at the table.

He hears Scott making introductions but keeps his focus on the piece of French toast that needs to be flipped at just, the, right…time.

He flips it to reveal a perfectly cooked underside to the piece of bread before turning around. He wipes his hands and takes in one of the prettiest women he’s ever seen. She’s like the girl version of Derek. Scott’s kind of dumbfounded but really, the boy’s pretty much eternally devoted to Allison and will snap out of it in 3, 2, 1-

“You were at the bar last night weren’t you?”

_There you go Scotty._

“Yeah, were you?”  
“Yeah, _alone_ because someone wanted to stay in and unpack.”  
“Hey sue me for wanting to make my bed and sleep after moving all day long. _Human_ stamina here buddy.”

He catches a small ‘oh’ escape Derek as he hangs his head.

“Oh, don’t worry about it dude. I’ve already got a nap planned for later when I’m in a sugar coma from this brunch.”  
“Oh god, you call it brunch too? What’s he talking about Der? And why won’t you answer my question of why the hell were you in our neighbors house instead of nursing a hangover in your room where you crashed last night?”

Derek tucked his chin some more and Stiles chuckled before he was turning back to dish up the food.

“He got a little confused and ended up crawling in through my window into my room and crashed on my bed instead of his own. To his credit, he was only off by one house.”

Laura blinked at her brother a couple times before she cracked up. Stiles could see Derek’s ears turning pink. This was just a morning for embarrassment. But hey, it’s not often your studly new neighbor crashes on your bed by way of introduction.

Stiles had the plates all dished up (sausage, bacon, cinnamon French toast with fried apples, scrambled eggs and breakfast potatoes heaped on each) and everyone sat down.

Laura laughed the whole time.

Between gasps of laughter Laura wheezed out, "again Derek?"

"Again? You mean you're in the habit of crawling through strangers windows? I'm rethinking this whole let you stay in my house for food thing. That’s kinda creepy dude.”

Derek just blushed that much more. It was _wonderful_.

“Says the guy who lets the random man in his bed stay for a meal.”  
"Oh no, no he's not that creepy. He just, we were out and when Derek came home he ended up in our Uncle Peter’s room instead of his own, which is one flight higher and on the other side of the house."

With that Laura’s laughing her head off again. Derek manages to chuckle at himself finally.

“For the record I don’t let just any random people stay. We had a lot of wolves follow Scotty boy home here. Especially freshman year we had guys and a couple girls who hadn’t been away from home before and when they’d follow whatever scent Scott gives off and wake up in our dorm room they’d be a bit disoriented. Typically we’d just hand over a bowl and a box of cereal.”

“We’d have them tell us what they remember from the night before. And we’d have them tell us about their family. As they talked and ate they would get themselves all worked out and then they’d leave.”

Derek and Laura had matching jaw drops and forks raised halfway to their mouths.

Derek snapped first.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Especially for you Stiles?”  
“Please tell me your alpha stopped that practice because that is just asking for trouble. Especially with you being human Stiles, your pack should have better guidelines for your protection.”

First off, _what?_

Scott and Stiles looked at each other like, “the fuck?”

“Uh, it wasn’t that dangerous? I don’t know they were just a bunch of kids who ended up in the wrong room. We thought we were helping. And that bat I had earlier ain’t no Louisville slugger. I made that bat from mountain ash.”

Stiles is serious when he says.

“I was the one who figured out what happened to Scott after graduation. I was the one who sat with him on full moons and talked him down or kept him in control. I learned things hard and fast because I had a friend to take care of. Those kids we were helping taught me more too. They recognized the danger of being that drunk and the potential they had for hurting people. At the very least they ended up somewhere safe so they could learn that lesson without actually hurting anybody.”

“And, I don’t have an alpha. It’s just me. I had gone to LA to visit my dad after graduation and I was attacked. By the time I got back to Beacon Hills the bite was healed and we were moving here into the freshman dorms. There is no alpha, we have no pack. It’s just me. Me and Stiles and Allison.”

Derek and Laura kind of reel in shock. How could someone not seek a pack? Not want an alpha.

The look they were sharing drew curiosity in Stiles. Somewhere in his brain it registered that Scott's definition of pack was probably different than the Hales.

The conversation veers back to school. What their all expecting. The meal wraps up and Laura helps helps with the dishes. Derek is dumbfounded for the untold time this morning. Laura apparently never does dishes and Derek says so.

“Well somebody has to try and apologize for you and your drunken behavior.”  
“Hey! I helped _make_ the meal.”

Laura just snorts and wipes the last dish down and Stiles puts it away. Scott disappears after the dishes are done leaving Stiles to walk Laura and Derek out. Derek shoos Laura away while he kinda lingers in the doorway with Stiles holding the door.

“I really am sorry for taking over your bed.”

Stiles doesn’t miss the once over Derek gives him however hard he tried to make it subtle. He smirks.

“No you’re not.”  
“Actually I’m not. Your bed’s really comfy. And it makes this easier.”  
“What easier?”

Even though Stiles is pretty sure he knows where this is going.

“Asking you to dinner? Tomorrow?”  
“I pick you pay?”  
“Deal. Tomorrow at 7?”

Derek is pleased to see the tips of Stiles ears go red again. He takes in a small breath. _Happiness._ Huh. Maybe Derek did something right here.


	3. What have I done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit shorter

He did not do anything right.  
He makes it back to his own bedroom before the realization hits of what he just did.  
He is an idiot.

But Stiles was happy.  
And said yes.  
And _already knows_ about werewolves.

But he just asked out his new neighbor, who is from his fucking hometown, the son of the Sheriff, the little freshman that caught his eye in lacrosse all grown up in all the right-

He needs to stop.

This is bad.

What happens when it turns out that Stiles hates him? Or Derek does something stupid? Or what if Scott doesn’t approve? The little he remembers of the boys from high school tells him that Scott is fiercely protective of Stiles.

What have I done?

Basically Derek pulls himself up and starts unpacking and getting ready for school but his mind is on a constant loop of:

_I’m going to fuck this up. Then what? I’ll have to move again. I won’t fuck this up. Who am I kidding I’m going to…_

Ad infinitum.

It continues in his sleep too. Nightmares of Stiles against faceless werewolves. Or Derek himself losing control.

He wakes up and the cycle repeats until he find himself shoved into some clothes because for some reason Laura is all for this and is not making fun of him.

Warning bells.  
They’re going off somewhere.  
If only Derek knew what they meant.

But then he’s at Stiles door and _oh god this is happening_ he can’t let this happen and then Stiles comes out and oh-  
Shit.

\---

Stiles shut the door. Huh. I can't believe he asked me out. Why did I say yes? Oh I don't know maybe since you've liked him since forever.

He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. Why did he say yes?

Derek is probably going to just get annoyed on the date when my personality comes shining through.

Like that singular date with Cecelia...and Jaden...and Alex.

God this just wasn't going to work.

And it was his new neighbor. If (and when) it fails spectacularly they would have to find a new place.

 

He was shaken from his thoughts by Scott. At some point he'd zombie walked himself upstairs into Scott's room.

"Dude, what were you thinking about?"  
"Derek asked me out."  
"Ooh- Wait what?"  
"Derek asked me out."  
"And you said-"  
"Yes. Why did I say yes? What if it goes terrible and then we have to live right next to each other. We just signed that lease it's not like we can move--"  
"Dude. Stop. Deep breath."

Stiles obeyed.

"Ok Allison's on her way over so she's going to confirm that this is not a bad idea. When was the last time you went out with somebody? When was that last time somebody asked you? If it's another creeper who just thinks your eyes are this amber color and they just can't help but stare then HE gets to be embarrassed about seeing you around, not you."

That really didn't help as much as Scott intended it to Stiles thinks.

But he sighs and does indeed get a nap on his bed that now _smells_ like Derek, great. This isn't even fair.

He wakes up and Allison is indeed there and gives him some real encouragement before laying out the clothes he has to wear.

He passes time that night and the next day unpacking and getting ready for school.

  
The night of the date he pulls on the clothes Allison laid out and calls her.

"This is ridiculous. I look stupid."  
"No you don't. You look great."  
"This shirts too tight and these pants, I didn't know I owned these pants. They hug me weird."  
"Honey, they make your ass look great. They're from Lydia what'd you expect? And the shirts not too tight it just emphasizes the fact that you have shoulders and a chest."  
"I still think I look stupid."  
"Ugh Stiles just shut up and wear it. You. Look. Fine."

There's a knock on the door. Shit it's 7 already.

"Shit."  
"He there? See no time to change. Have fun!"

With that she hung up and left Stiles to go on this ridiculous date. He answers the door and Derek's staring. Man he should have changed shirts at least.

\---

So Stiles opens the door and all Derek can do is stare. He looks- this is not the skinny sheriffs kid with a buzz cut and huge beautiful eyes. This is this is too much. Because he filled out in all the right places. Like his broad shoulders and his long, lean legs.

God Derek just wants to _bite_.

He shakes himself internally. Focus. He breathes in and Stiles smells nervous and excited and embarrassed. Before he can stop himself he blurts-

"Why do you smell embarrassed?"

Stiles winces. Crap. _Seriously what is it with this kid and making me blurt everything out?_

"Sorry I didn't-"

Stiles raises a hand to stop him.

"It's fine. Scott does it to me all the time. It's these clothes. Allison dressed me and I feel like an idiot."

And before he can stop himself, again, he says, "Don't. She did a good job, you look..."

He's at a loss for an appropriate word as he rakes his eyes up and down again. Shit he is not subtle at all. When he meets Stiles eyes again they blush again. He clears his throat and settled with, "really good."

 _'Really good'_ god he could punch himself in the face. But Stiles obviously relaxes so he let's it go.

"So where we going?"

Stiles shut the door and starts walking over to Derek's Camaro that's parked on the street.

"There's this diner on 10th that has _the_ best milkshake flavors."

\---///---

And with that they're on a date. Both afraid of it failing on the drive over. But by the time they've orders burgers and fries and started to actually converse they realize maybe it won't end badly.

Because Derek listens when Stiles talks, even his tangents.  
Because Stiles doesn't push for Derek to fill awkward silences.  
Because Derek is a Tolkien nerd.  
Because Stiles works out in the mornings too.

By the time they've ordered their milkshakes (s'more and banana split) they're discussing the Star Trek reboot. After the desserts are finished Stiles asks Derek if he wants to do this again and Derek does.

They actually get around to exchanging numbers before they get back home and Derek kisses Stiles long and slow against the front door.

 

Miracle above miracles they actually get along really well. But Stiles isn't allowed to wear those pants again. (helping Derek’s self-control and whatnot)

They go out on a few dates. Including one memorable evening making out in the movie theater followed by the Camaro.

But then school starts and there's less time for dates and nights out but more time to hang out and do homework. Which they both have a lot of.

 

Stiles asks questions about werewolves and pack. Derek explains some stuff Stiles never knew and how pack is like family. How it's love and protection and belonging. How his mom is the alpha but it's not a dictatorship (like Scott thinks it would be) but a choice. A choice to accept that what your alpha asks of you will be good for you or good for the pack. How you don't have to be a wolf to be pack.

Derek tells him about Kate and why he's maybe not ready to have sex with Stiles yet and Stiles just smiles small and genuine and says whenever he's ready is fine because Stiles might not be ready either.

Stiles doesn’t tell the people he dates about his mom. But he talks about her with Derek because Derek knew her. And when he admits to just how much he misses her he allows himself to be held by someone not Scott, Allison, or his dad for the first time. Derek just wraps himself around Stiles on the couch and holds him while they watch Sherlock.

 

They have Lord of the Rings and Star Wars and Doctor Who marathons.

They borrow each other books and argue over literary devices.

Stiles cooks for Derek and Laura a lot.

Derek makes Stiles oatmeal butterscotch cookies and Stiles jumps him and they end up making out on the couch for an hour.

 

Laura and Stiles become bros. Laura takes him shopping and then laughs when she can smell Derek's reaction to the clothes. Stiles helps her learn to cook. Correction. Teaches her not to burn things as often. They hang out almost as much as Stiles and Derek do and as much as Stiles and Scott do.

Both Stiles and Derek come to the conclusion that maybe this whole dating thing will end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a longer chapter with a visit to the Hale family coming shortly. I promise.
> 
> UPDATE: It's there now. :)


	4. Yay for Thanksgiving!

Suddenly, it’s the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. The four of them planning on driving home to Beacon Hills together in Stiles' jeep Wednesday afternoon after classes finish. Stiles had just gotten home from class and was going to take a shower. It was an unseasonably warm day and he just felt gross. Derek texted him to hang out for the afternoon and work on homework; to just come over whenever because he was home already. Stiles responded that he’d be over once he got out of the shower.

He jumped in the shower with the radio cranked. He was feeling good. He had most of his work done that was due after break and he was going _home_. He was going to get to see his _dad_. It had been a couple months since he’d been home and he missed his dad. He finished his shower and threw on clean boxer briefs and sweatpants and a t-shirt.

He went to grab his phone to tell Derek he’d be over soon. But he had missed calls. One from his dad, one from Melissa, one from the Beacon Hills Police Department. There’s two voicemails. He picked the BHPD one first.

Why? He doesn’t know.

“Stiles this is Deputy Parish. I needed to call to tell you that your dad and I were out on a domestic disturbance call. Shots were fired and he was taken to the hospital-“

The message cuts off and the panic is rising so fast he can’t even think to listen to his other voicemail. He thinks he’s trying to make it to his jeep. That is his goal. He can’t focus though because the panic is making it hard to breathe. And there’s black dots in his vision. He’s fumbling he knows but in reality he’s dumped the books off his desk, tipped over his laundry, his backpack is strewn across the room. Before he knows what’s happening he’s on the floor lost in his panic.

_Not again, I can’t do this again. Not dad. Not again. This can’t happen again. Not again, not again, not again._

\---

Derek’s on the other side of the wall sitting in his room waiting for Stiles to come over. He heard the shower quit and then a few minutes later Stiles heart rate spikes. He hears gasping breaths and the erratic heartbeat and _what is happening_?

He’s out the window onto the roof of his porch that’s connected to Stiles' and over to Stiles window. He jumps in the room to find it a mess with Stiles on his knees bent over on the floor. His heart is still going crazy and his hands are buried in his hair and his face is pressed into the ground as he rocks on his knees.

Then Derek smells the sharp smell of panic-

_Panic attack._

Stiles is having a panic attack and Derek doesn’t know what to do. He fights with his brain as he rushes to Stiles side. He tries to talk to him but its like Stiles can’t hear him. Then he remembers Cora used to have these.

_Mom would know what to do._

He calls his mom. She picks up on the third ring.

“Derek, I'm glad you called, sweetie your sister-“  
“Mom, how do you help someone having a panic attack?”  
“Who’s having a panic attack?”  
“Stiles, mom, he’s not getting enough air, his heart is going crazy, I swear I can _feel_ the pain in his chest and the smell of panic is-“  
“Derek. Breathe, you can’t help him if you’re panicking too.”  
“What do I do?”  
“Make sure there’s nothing around him he can use to hurt himself. Let him know you’re there that he’s safe that he’s ok. It might take a while. Now go.”

She hangs up and Derek drops his phone in favor of picking Stiles up off the floor. He pulls him up so that Derek is resting against the headboard of the bed and Stiles is on his lap. He gently takes Stiles hands from pulling his hair and just starts talking. It’s weird because it’s normally Stiles doing all the talking when their together. And having him so quiet is unsettling. Derek keeps hold of Stiles hands so he can’t hurt himself and grips their right hands over Stiles heart.

“Breathe Stiles just breathe. I’m here. You’re okay. You’re safe. You need to breathe though. Can you match my breathing. There you go that’s great just breathe Stiles.”

Eventually after a couple of long minutes of Derek taking over exaggerated breaths and talking slowly Stiles heart is back closer to normal and he seems to realize Derek’s presence. The tension releases and Stiles head falls back onto Derek’s shoulder.

His throat is hoarse when he tells Derek his dad is in the hospital. That there was a shooting and he doesn’t know what happened.

“Were you all packed to leave tomorrow?”

Stiles nods.

“Ok, I’m just going to go finish packing my bag and I’ll drive you now. Ok? We’ll email your professors once we get there and you see your dad.”

But Stiles doesn’t move to get off.

“Stiles I need to go-“  
“I don't want to be alone.”

Stiles says it so small and quiet and scared and Derek gets it.

“Ok just grab your bag and we’ll go over there together to get my stuff. Okay?”

Stiles nods and gets up. He grabs his stuff and shoves it back in his backpack before he grabs his bag he’d packed for the weekend. Derek closes the window and then comes back to Stiles side. He keeps a hand on the small of his back at all times. They put Stiles bags into the Camaro before going into Derek’s house.

He half carries Stiles up the stairs and lets him slump on the bed. He’s mumbling about ‘not again’ and ‘fucking Parish you don’t give news like that over a voice mail’ and a lot of just ‘not my dad.’

Derek’s heart is kind of breaking. And its new because while he’s had relationships he’s never felt like this with the other people. He’s never felt so upset because the other is distressed. But right now all he really wants to do is make it better. Makes Stiles feel better. Make the sour sad twist on his scent disappear. But he doesn’t know how to do that he just knows that Stiles needs to see his dad and that he needs to know what happened.

Not 10 minutes have passed and Derek has packed, texted Laura and Scott what’s going on and gotten Stiles and himself in the car on their way home.

It’s supposed to be a 45 minute drive, they make it there in half an hour.

10 minutes into the silent car ride Stiles gives a small ‘oh’ as if he remembered something and pulled his phone out.

It looks like he listens to a voice mail. He’s shaking when he hits replay and puts it on speaker for Derek to hear Scott’s mom, Nurse McCall, tell Stiles his dad was shot but it was a through and through and he’s going to be fine so don’t panic. And don’t listen to Parish’s voice mail.

Derek slides the phone into the cup holder and hold’s Stiles hand for the rest of the trip.

They get to the hospital and Stiles is shaking again. He's walking on unsteady legs towards the desk. Derek is just walking behind him but Stiles freezes when he gets to the front desk like he can't even say it out loud yet. Derek comes up and wraps an arm around his waist before he turns to the nurse.

"His dad was shot. Sheriff Stilinski?"  
"Right this way."

The nurse looks like she wants to say something about family only but refrains when she sees Stiles cling to his shirt. They make it to the room and Stiles almost flings himself at his dad before he catches himself not wanting to hurt the man. The sheriff looks tired but ok. He must have known Stiles panicked regardless of what Melissa said in her voice mail.

"Dad?"

Stiles voice sounds so childlike Derek can't handle it.  
The sheriff beckons him over and Stiles goes in for a long hug. When he pulls away with wet eyes the questions start.

"What happened? When? Why? Who?!"

Derek turns to leave for the waiting room; the answers to those questions aren't any of his business. But before he can the sheriff stops him.

"Derek you should stay. You'll find out about this soon enough anyway.

We got a call for a disturbance and an noise complaint in an apartment building on Oak street. Parish and I went in and well. It's hard to explain but Kate Argent was there and she had this poor girl strung up and beaten and before we could really come to grips with that the girl raised her head and it was Cora Hale."

Derek's breathing wasn't happening very easily at this point.

"Son, there's something you should know about the Hales if you don't already."  
"They're werewolves."

Stiles says it plainly and the sheriff looks relieved that he doesn't have to try and explain.

"Yeah, so apparently this Argent woman was a hunter. Cora had been missing a grand total of 4 hours but she looked like Kate had her for days. I don't think the woman really knew what was happening because she opened fire. She hit me but Parish was able to get the gun away from her and get her in cuffs. I kinda passed out because that's what you do when you get shot. Parish handled everything beautifully I hear though. Kate was on the ground unable to move. He released Cora and called Talia to come get her. Called in backup to process the scene and Cora. As well as an ambulance for me. Melissa said she called you after Parish left you a vague voice mail about what happened. But I'm guessing you panicked before you could listen to it."

Stiles just nodded and hugged his dad again. Derek felt sick. Kate had taken Cora, that must have been what his mom had started to tell him.  
Was this his fault somehow?  
Would Stiles blame him?

"Where is Kate now?"

Derek needed to know.

"She's been charged with kidnapping, assault and a whole heap of other charges and she will be treated for her obvious mental instability before she goes to jail. Probably for a very long time."

Derek sighed with some relief.

"How long do you have to stay here dad?"  
"A couple days kid. I'm sorry. But she had bullets with wolfs bane and they want to make sure that doesn't affect me in any way. I already talked with Melissa and she's got to work the holiday so I think you should go stay with the Hales for the weekend if that's ok Derek? I don't want him to be alone."

Stiles looked like he wanted to protest; already making plans to just stay in the hospital.

"It's no trouble sir, there's always room at our house."

_And I don't want to let him out of my sight._

Stiles doesn't fight it and goes to get his dad something to eat leaving the two of them alone.

 

"So you're dating my son, huh?"  
"Yes sir."  
"Please, call me John. You should know that if you hurt him-"  
"I know I know you have a gun and a police force."  
"No what I was going to say is if you hurt him I will tell your alpha."  
 _Oh shit.  
_ "And if he hurts you you tell me because between me and Melissa we will take care of him for you."

Derek smiled at that.

"Yes sir- John."  
"Good. Glad that's settled."  
"John? How did, I mean, did you already know about my family?"  
"Oh uh yeah. I've known since the issue with uh, Peter."  
"My uncle?"  
"Yeah we had to get involved when he-"  
"He went crazy and started hurting people."  
"Yeah."

The sheriffs demeanor changed abruptly. He looked incredibly serious as he lowered his voice to continue.

"Now there's another thing about Stiles. Last semester-"

He cut off as Stiles walked in with food. After eating his food John looked ready to pass out. Derek and Stiles left the sheriff so he could sleep.

They got back in the car and drove up towards the Hale house. Derek was torn between wanting to cuddle the shit out of his boyfriend and wanting to check on his sister. They're driving up the drive way when Derek turns to Stiles.

"Now I know you've maybe met some of my family but all together the pack might get...overwhelming. But they're really great and if you need we can just go to my room and-"

"Derek it'll be fine. I'm sure they're great."

He's smiling but he really doesn't know what he's getting in to Derek thinks. They park and by the time they get to the front door Talia is there waiting. She hugs Stiles first who doesn't even question it before Derek's allowed to hug his mom. He buries his face in her shoulder and asks how Cora's doing.

"She's going to be fine. She's resting now."

Derek nods because if his mom says she's ok, she's ok.

He looks up just in time to see Lizzy approach Stiles. He doesn't have time to warn him that despite the 6 year old's adorable face she doesn't like many people outside of the pack.

\---

Stiles is exhausted. But his dad is fine so he's letting himself just go along with whatever at the moment. He let's Derek take him up to the Hale mansion without argument and tried to calm his worries about his family. Stiles is very much aware of how many Hales live in this house and he's pretty sure he can handle it.

Maybe after a nap but he's nearly positive he can handle it.

He's kind of shocked when Mrs. Hale hugs him right off the bat but really he can use all the hugs in the world right now. He's waiting for Derek when _the_ cutest little girl walks up to him. He vaguely noticed everyone staring at their interaction. He crouched down to be at eye level with her so he could talk to her.

"Oh my gosh I think you are the prettiest girl I have ever seen. What's your name?"  
"My names Lizzy."  
"Hi Lizzy I'm- umph- Stiles."

Before he could finish introducing himself the little girl had thrown herself towards him and knocked him on his butt as she hugged the crap out of him.

From her position koala bear-ed around him she continued the conversation like normal.

"Stiles, like Derek's Stiles?"

Stiles chuckled when he looked up at Derek's ears turning pink and wrapped his arms around her little body.

"Yeah, I'm Derek's Stiles."  
"Why do you smell sad?"  
"Lizzy!" Someone scolded. But she just nuzzled in even more.  
"It's fine, my dad got hurt. He's the sheriff and I know there's risks but it scared me that he got hurt."  
"Oh. Is he the one who saved auntie Cora?"  
"Yes he is."  
"Ok."

And just like that she was done talking and just stayed there hugging him for a full minute before she stood up.

"Feel better?"  
"I do. You give good hugs Lizzy."

She smiled and bounded away. Derek helped him up and then Talia spoke.

"You're more than welcome to stay with us for the rest of the week Stiles. You've gotten Lizzy's approval even and that doesn't always happen."

With a nod to Talia, Derek grabbed his hand and pulled him up the stairs presumably towards his room. Which was great because some quality time with a bed, blanket and his boyfriend was really in order. They made it to what Stiles assumed was Derek's childhood bedroom. Stiles sat on the bed and Derek kind of collapsed against the closed door.

"That was unprecedented."  
"What was?"  
"Well for one, Lizzy. Lizzy barely looks at new people. And she _comforted_ you. Also, the fact that you weren't subjected to introductions and interrogations immediately."  
"Whatever Lizzy did with that hug it was awesome. I'm pretty sure I legitimately feel better after that experience. Sore butt withstanding."

Derek just gave him a look of bewilderment.

"Uh, she uh...just really?"  
"Yeah really why?"  
"Well, its kind of a wolf thing I guess. The bit where she put her face in your neck. That’s her trying to comfort you. For humans it doesn't really work unless you've been in the pack a long time though normally."  
"I don't really care why it worked I'm more interested in the fact that cuddles are making me feel better."

Derek just chuckled.

"Well I'm gonna go check in on Cora for a minute. Can I get you anything though?"  
"A blanket? Some water would be nice too, but I can go get it."

Derek went to his closet and pulled out a big quilt,

"No, no I'll get it. You just stay in here."

Well, Stiles wasn't going to argue with that. He was half asleep when Derek came back and joined him on the bed as the big spoon. After that there was no way Stiles would stay awake.

\---

Derek is seriously considering disowning Laura as his favorite sibling. Because favorite siblings do not choose to wake them up for supper by throwing themselves on top of you and your boyfriend while they nap.

"Seriously Laura?"  
"You still love me."  
"Yeah, not so much. That was my kidney. Human here and that is gonna bruise."  
"Oh, whatever. Suppers ready losers."

"Why are we friends with her again?"  
"I don't know about you but the whole 'family' thing does it for me."  
"Yeah."

They extricate themselves from the blanket and crawl off the bed.

"Ok so there's a lot of them and they're kind of loud and they're going to ask questions and-"  
"Derek. I think I can handle it."  
"How are you so sure? Have you done the meet-the-parents? Because werewolves kind of-"  
"Derek. I can't- I can't explain it but I feel like I'm- home. But that's weird because I've literally never been in this house before. Just. Shouldn't I be the one freaking out not you?"

Derek sighs and pulls him into a hug.

"I know. You'll be fine, I just wish you didn't have to go through the interrogation."  
"My dad's the sheriff. I know how they go. Come on it'll be fine."

\---

They head down the stairs towards the kitchen meeting people as they go.

"Stiles this is my dad, Andrew. That's my older brother Josh, his wife Julia and their daughter Lizzy. You already know Laura obviously and my mom. This is Cora. My little brother Tommy is the one with the book and that's his twin Jill. They will graduate high school this year. Cora's two years behind you."

Ok maybe Stiles was a little overwhelmed. It actually is kind of a lot of people.  
As if on cue Lizzy walked over and put her arms up asking to be picked up. On instinct Stiles reached down and picked her up. She nuzzled in like before and Stiles walked into the dining room with her; the rest of the family gaping.

Overall, the meal wasn't that bad. The questions weren't that invasive. Lizzy sat on one side and Derek sat on his other. They were on his side at least; a barrier of protection. All was well until dessert was served. Talia finally spoke up.

"So Stiles, are you going to end up hurting my son?"

_Whelp I didn't need to taste that bite of pie I'll just swallow it whole._

"Mrs. Hale-"  
"Talia, please."  
"Talia, it is not my intention to, directly or indirectly, do anything to hurt Derek or his pack."

 _Well that's a ringing silence if I ever heard one._ Talia smiled and moved on to the next question.

"We've heard the tale of how you met but made you pursue a relationship?"

_Uhh. Okay._

"I, uh, kind of remembered him from school growing up and I knew he was someone I thought I could trust. But then I got to know him now and..."

Stiles paused and turned to give Derek a small smile.

"I feel safe with him. Like..."

He turned back to face Talia.

"Like I'm where I'm supposed to be."  
"Good. And do you keep secrets from him?"

_Oh my god. Seriously._

"Respectfully, there is no way to answer that question without being suspicious. Everyone has secrets. I have one that concerns Derek and me but it's not one that I felt he needed to know yet and it's not one I'm going to share at the dinner table."  
"Good. More pie?"  
"Honestly I couldn't eat another bite but it was delicious."

And since it appeared that the interrogation part of the conversation was over, everyone went back to talking amongst themselves. Stiles sighed briefly and turned back to his pie. When he felt a hand on his knee he looked up to see Derek giving him this dopey, adorable grin. They finished their dessert with their hands clasped under the table.

After the dishes were done ("You're not doing the dishes Stiles you're a guest." "A guest who didn't help cook the food. I am helping with clean up.") and the table was cleared Stiles was dragged away by Lizzy.

 

"Where we going Lizzy girl?"  
"You're going to read me a book before I go to sleep."  
"What makes you think I like books?"

She turns and rolls her eyes at him.

"You like uncle Derek. Obviously you like books."

Somewhere Stiles heard Laura snort.

"Fair point. What are we reading?"

She narrows her eyes at him as they reach her room.

"You tell me."

_Oh my god I'm being tested by a 6 year old._

"Hmmm. How about The Hobbit? Or The Chronicles of Narnia? Or The Wizard of Oz?"  
"My dad and I are in the middle of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe."

_Nailed it._

"How about we read a chapter in there then?"  
"Three chapters."  
"Two."  
"Deal."

He turned his back when instructed so she could change into pajamas and then sat in the chair next to her bed to read. He got halfway through the second chapter before she was asleep. He tucked her in under her covers and made his way into the hallway. As soon as he turned from closing the door Derek was pulling him up the stairs, down the hall to a small balcony on the top floor of the house.

They were outside with the doors closed behind them and then Derek was kissing him.

Derek's hands cupped Stiles face as he pulled back from the kiss.

"You are unbelievable."

He says it with a smile like he really can't believe Stiles is real.  
They kiss for a while before they're out of breath and just stand holding on to one another.

"You two are so sappy it's ridiculous."  
"Shut up Laura."  
"Come back inside. Mom wants to play cards."  
"How do werewolves play cards? You can hear lies and bluffs."  
"We play hand and foot. Or rummy. Or gin."  
"Fine fine I get it there's more to cards than poker and bullshit."  
Derek laughed, "Do you know any card games?"  
"My mom and I used to play, dad's always been too busy."

Stiles ends up coming in second to Andrew.  
He and Derek only stay for part of the games. He's still pretty exhausted from the day in general.

They crawl into the bed and into each other's arms trading lazy kisses before Derek pulls back.

"You are amazing and I think I love you Stiles. I don't even know your real name but I love you."  
"Your family is crazy, but I feel like I fit regardless because I fit with you." He says with a smile and a kiss. "I love you too Derek. But we're not having sex for the first time in a house full of people who will hear everything."

Derek laughs and Stiles phones goes off 30 seconds later. It's a text from Laura that reads:

FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THAT IS HOLY THANK YOU.

 ---

The next morning Stiles is up before Derek even. He rolls out of bed and throws on some shorts and a cut off t-shirt; he's about to put his ear buds in for his run when Derek rolls over and pops his head out of the blankets.

"Why are you awake?"  
"I'm going for a run. Go back to sleep."

He just groans and pulls himself out of bed.

"Give me 5 minutes and I'll come with you?"  
"Fine."

Stiles goes downstairs to wait for Derek. He finds Talia already in the kitchen.

"Morning run?"  
"Yeah, I didn't get one in yesterday."  
"Breakfast will be ready in just over an hour."  
"We'll be here."

Derek says from the kitchen doorway. They take off and Derek realizes they've always talked about workouts but haven't done it together before. He's under the assumption that he'll be running circles around Stiles.

Werewolf vs. human and all.

Turns out Derek's not one for stamina. And Stiles is fucking _fast_. They're 20 minutes in and Derek drops back, already tired.

And Stiles?

Fucking laughs!

And comes back to run circles around _him_.

"Bet you thought you'd be the one doing this? Am I right? Huh?"

Derek growls at his shit eating grin and sprints off towards the lake, where they'd turn around and head back. Stiles still beats him there. He's grumbly and growly while they break to stretch. Right up until Stiles laughs and kisses the frown off his face. The tease leaves him wanting more when he takes off for the house laughing again. Morning people. Seriously.

They make it back and shower just in time for breakfast.

They sit down for French toast and eggs with the pack.

When Derek is _sure_ his mom isn't paying attention he leans over to whisper, "not as good as yours."

But later that morning he sees Talia talking to Stiles until he blushes when she hands him something. Derek walks over once his mom leaves.

"What was that about?"  
"Well she said that since you seem to like my French toast better that I'd better make it for them all to try. Pretty sure this is her grocery list and credit card to get everything. I'm cooking your family breakfast Saturday morning."  
"Huh."  
"Yeah, huh. Remember when you were freaking out and asked if I've ever done the whole meet the parents before?"  
"Vividly. Why?"  
"Because I haven't. I'm guessing it's safe to assume this isn't a normal reaction though?"  
"Yeah. That's a safe assumption."

Derek's trying really hard to contain his feelings at the moment. Because Stiles feels at home with his family and his _mom likes him_. And Stiles is practically glowing he's so fucking happy.

\---

Then suddenly it's Thanksgiving. Stiles wakes up with Derek's face buried in his armpit and an arm thrown over his chest; it's oddly comforting. Derek later (awkwardly) explains it's a scent thing. Apparently Stiles smells good.

The day itself is probably like every other Thanksgiving Derek's ever had but not Stiles. It had always just been him, his mom, and his dad; then just him and his dad. One year the McCalls had come over but more often than not Melissa has to work the holiday.

So the fact that Stiles is in the middle of the bustling kitchen helping Talia cook is simply wonderful.

There's so many people in the house.   
Everybody getting along, mostly.   
They eat way too much.   
Laze around before eating leftovers for supper.   
Somehow get the energy to sit around the table and play cards.   
They play until he almost falls asleep right there at the table.

Derek ends up carrying him to bed.

Damn turkey.

But it's for the best because Stiles is up the next morning making breakfast for everybody. Derek's there to help and Talia even offers to help with the amounts Stiles should make for everyone to get enough.

As everyone sits down, Stiles announces that his French toast should not be compared to Talia's delicious French toast because his cheats and uses cinnamon swirl bread. That earns him a smile from the alpha before everyone digs in and is silenced as they continue eating.

\---

Later that day finds Scott, Stiles, Derek, and Laura at a diner for coffee but Stiles has a plan. He gives everybody a napkin and a pen. Then has them write down what they think pack means. When they switch with Scott, Laura and Derek get why Scott resisted finding an alpha and a pack. Once they explain even more what pack really means Scott decides meeting Talia wouldn't be the end of the world.

He follows the other three back to the Hale house. He's immediately taken to the study to talk with Talia and when he comes out he looks, shaken slightly but mostly fine. He goes home and talks to his mom presumably but he's back to the Hales that evening ready to join the pack. Laura rolls her eyes. Derek's content and Stiles is downright excited.

They visit the sheriff every day they're in Beacon Hills. All too soon though it's time to go back to school. It's still a couple weeks then it's finals and Christmas break but Stiles is already excited to be back at the Hale house. He doesn't feel so alone when he's with Derek and feels so utterly content with the pack. He just hopes Derek feels the same way because really Stiles kinda wants to stay forever.

Spoiler: Derek does.


	5. Finally

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Okay, now we know why Stiles was hesitant to have sex with Derek

It’s a couple weeks later, finals are looming and Derek is at home waiting for Stiles to come home and he's reading. Not even fun reading. Well it is but it’s a particularly dry chapter about The Spanish-American War. He seriously prefers wars on European soil as opposed to the America’s. Solely based on the idea that the reasons for the wars on American soil were always so…misguided. Regardless he’s more than happy for the distraction of his boyfriend calling him. He picks up his phone to answer Stiles call.

“How long—“  
“Hey there friend. Got a question for you, because you’re a werewolf is that going to make you more of a protective boyfriend or is that possibly just a Derek thing or is it even a thing at all?”

It comes out so fast Derek hardly catches it and when Stiles stops talking Derek can hear how his heart is racing and his breathing is shaky.

“It’s a me thing, I think, that gets over intensified because I’m a werewolf and I don’t want anything to hurt what’s mine to protect. Does that—“ _bother you?_  
“Oh good. So I’m not 100% sure but I’m pretty damn sure, like 94% sure that someone is following me so if I’m not home in like 10 minutes you should be worried.”  
“You’re kidding, right?”

Click.

“Stiles?! That’s not funny!”

He hung up. _Oh my god he hung up. This is so not funny I am not waiting 10 minutes._

Derek is freaking out. How was he so calm with the fact that someone was following him? How did he know someone was following him? He normally wears his ear buds and listens to music when he walks home. Derek is pacing trying to think and just…be rational? He doesn’t know because the next thing he does is grab his keys and he’s in the Camaro driving to campus.

He finds the building Stiles would have left from and follows the path he takes to get home. He’s 4 blocks from campus when he realizes that’s why Stiles called. The option of hiding in a classroom or the library or somewhere on campus was probably long past by the time the person started to follow him. Derek makes a turn and goes one more block when he sees a slumped figure in the alley…wearing a red hoodie.

Shit.

He pulls into the alley and jumps out of the car. He knows its Stiles when he gets out and smells the blood.

“Stiles!”

He’s kneeling in front of where Stiles has curled in on himself. Derek gently takes his shoulder and pushes him down so he’s laying flat on the ground. He sucks in a breath when he does. Stiles chest is covered in gashes, from claws and Derek’s really having control issues right now because _reasons_.

His face is going to bruise, he’s got a split lip and his nose is still bleeding and he’ll probably have a black eye later too.

But Derek grabs his face anyway to try and get him to wake up.

“Stiles! Stiles wake up! Come on, you need to wake up. You need to be ok.”

He’s curled over Stiles now with Stiles’ head against his thighs while he kneels in the alley. He keeps coaxing Stiles back to consciousness and after a minute his eyes flutter open.

“Oh thank god.”

Stiles mouth twitches up a little.

“Oh good, you found me.”

He coughs; his mouth is a little bloody.

“I thought if I made it known I had a big scary werewolf boyfriend he wouldn’t do this. I was wrong.”  
“You know who it was?”  
“Yeah.”

When Stiles doesn’t elaborate Derek decides it’s time to get out of the alley.

“Do you need to go to the hospital or can I patch you up myself?”  
“If I want to report this I need to go to the hospital. Besides, I’d rather you didn’t put my shoulder back in place. It hurts like a bitch.”

Derek doesn’t really want to know how Stiles is so calm right now but he does. He is not looking forward to this triggering more panic attacks for his boyfriend. It’s not fun to watch the person you love suffer through one let alone multiple panic attacks. So he scoops him up off the ground and carries him bridal style to the waiting Camaro. He slips him into the passenger side before he runs around to get back behind the wheel and take off for the hospital.

“Hey, no speeding tickets. I’m not bleeding out here just, just pain.”  
“Somehow that doesn’t make me want to drive any slower Stiles.”

Stiles sighs and grimaces as it causes pain somewhere in his ribs. Derek doesn’t slow down and they’re at the ER soon enough. He parks and is around to grab Stiles where he’s trying to get himself out of the car.

“I can walk in there.” He grumbles.

“I doubt it Stiles.”

They walk in and Derek walks up to the desk; arms full of Stiles who has let his head rest on his shoulder tucking his face towards Derek’s neck.

Everyone freezes where they stand.

“He was attacked. Think we could get a little help?”

Derek’s annoyed. Medical personnel should not freeze when faced with trauma. But then they unfreeze at his words and there’s suddenly a gurney and judgmental glances.

He puts Stiles down but Stiles reaches out and grabs his hand before he can get away. He looks up and for the first time Derek clearly sees fear in his eyes.

“Don’t leave?”  
“I’m not going anywhere.”

One nurse is looking at him like he’s the monster who hurt Stiles and the other looks like she’ll die of the cuteness of him saying he’s staying. Stiles sees the first nurse and turns to her.

“Stop looking at him like that.” He snaps. “He didn’t do this to me. Get me Nurse Johnson she was my nurse last time. Is she working tonight? And call for Officer Larson too.”

Derek really didn’t like that Stiles said “last time” all he could hope was there weren’t multiple “last times.” The nurse had the decency to look apologetic before she was off to page ‘Nurse Johnson’. The other nurse turned to Derek.

“We have to take him for tests and possibly some stitches. There’s a waiting room down the hall we’ll come get you just as soon as he’s patched up.”

Derek nodded and then Stiles was gone. He was left with more questions than answers and an undeniable urge to track the scent that lingered on Stiles. To go find the wolf that had hurt him. Hurt him again apparently.

This THIS is why Derek hates secrets. Ok most of it is due to dating a woman who said she loved him and then was going to kill his whole family and make him live with the blame. That probably accounted for most of the reason. But honestly, if he’d known about ‘last time’ he would have helped. Could have maybe prevented this. He just wanted to know did Stiles not trust him enough to tell him about it? Derek had to stop thinking he just had to wait to talk to Stiles. Or let Stiles do all the talking. He just had to stop thinking about it. Yeah. Like that was going to work.

\---

Really, Stiles thought he was done with this bullshit. Now Derek was going to look at him like he was something to be pitied, something to be fixed, and he wasn’t broken dammit. He’d had x-rays taken and his ribs were only bruised not broken. His shoulder had been put back into place and his arm was in a sling. The gashes on his chest were shallower than expected and were simply cleaned and bandaged not stitched. His face had been washed and his nose was thankfully not broken either. But he did have a concussion so here he sat under observation for an hour or so.

And having been sufficiently tested and treated Derek was allowed to come and sit with him which meant explaining.  
Derek sat down next to his bed in the private room. Before he could ask questions though Stiles just needed to tell him. Tell him everything.

“For the record, when I say ‘last time’ it means the one and only other time I came into this ER beaten and bloody, ok?”

Derek nodded; quickly catching on that Stiles just needed to do the talking.

“I know how much you hate secrets. And I know how much you value trust. I hope this doesn’t change that between us. The only other people who know what I’m about to tell you is my dad and Nurse Johnson and Officer Larson. Scott doesn’t know, Allison doesn’t know, Melissa doesn’t know. None of my friends, nobody. I have never given you a reason to not trust me I just wasn’t, I wasn’t ready to…but it doesn’t matter now because you deserve to know, to understand.”

Derek’s expression was emotionless. No pity, no anger, but no sympathy either. Stiles didn’t know what he was looking for from Derek in all this so he chose to stare at his hands while he explained. He tried to talk like normal but more often than not he knew his voice was wavering and soft.

“Ok, so Fall semester of junior year. I’m in this class and I get to know the guy sitting next to me. He’s pretty smart so we start studying together. Semester goes pretty well he’s nice, I’m nice. Sometimes I thought he was flirting with me but overall he’d send mixed messages. We got towards the end of the semester and we’re studying for the final in the library. But everybody is in the library so it’s sweltering in the building. When he offered to go back to his place to keep studying I thought, ‘why not? It’s gotta be better conditions than this.’ So we go back and we do study but then pretty soon he’s coming on to me. He starts- he’s leaning in to talk. He’s suggesting…things. And I freeze because I don’t know that I don’t want this. All of a sudden he’s got me up and he’s kissing me and pushing me towards his bed and I realize I don’t want this.

And it takes me another beat to realize I can’t get away because well, he’s a werewolf. I figured with his strength and then his eyes kept flashing like he wasn’t in complete control. And puny human strength couldn’t fight off the supernatural. He’s got me on the bed and has most of my clothes off before I can make myself say no, say stop I don’t want this. He doesn’t listen.

He says shit like, “I’m giving you this. This is my thanks for letting me cheat off your test all semester. This is so you’ll help me pass the final.” And I’m pissed now because dudes an asshole and I’m saying things like, “Stop. I don’t want this I never let you cheat you just did that. I should report you for cheating get your ass kicked out of the class. You should fail.” Up until that point it was mostly him being naked. Me being naked. Him doing all the grinding and sexual assault of my unresponsive body that’s pinned under his.

I’m- I’m fucking terrified at this point but when I say he’s gonna fail something switches. He gets mad and pauses. When he pulls back I take a swing to get him off me. Little good it does because that’s when he starts hitting me. And then he’s thrown me on the floor and gets in a couple kicks before he decides that me coughing up blood on his carpet is enough. He uh, he just leaves and I pull my shorts back on and make my way down to his fucking doorman. Fucking doorman building and I get assaulted.

Anyway, I have the doorman call me a squad car to bring me to the hospital. Don’t look at me like that, ambulances are expensive. Plus then Officer Larson was already there and could interview the doorman that yes in fact I had come with Jackson Whittemore and that Jackson had left not 10 minutes before I came down with blood on his hands and his shirt. Plus, they were able to call in another squad car with two other officers who went up to the apartment to seal the uh, crime scene. I was brought here. My injuries were recorded as well as my statement.

Jackson was arrested for assault.

Unfortunately his father is a lawyer. So he literally was fined and has assault on his criminal record and he is under academic probation for his criminal actions and for the fact that he admitted to cheating to pass that class.

And that’s it. I- I didn’t tell you. I knew I would because well we’re dating and at some point I would like to go much, much farther than our make out sessions. Oh boy, do I want that. But I just didn’t know if- I didn’t know if I was ready. Or if it would be a trigger. I just- I’m a mess. I am this spastic ADHD nerd who has panic attacks and you, for some reason, want to be with me and I just didn’t want to add ‘was sexually and physically assaulted’ to the list of things you have to put up with to be with me.”

And that, God that was the bare honest truth and what Derek did next was up to him because in that moment it felt so good to have Derek know.

But Stiles steels himself anyway, to see pity, to see anger or maybe even disgust when he finally tears his eyes away from his hands to look at Derek’s response. When he wrenches his gaze away from his lap he takes in Derek’s reaction.

He’s…confused. Ok his brain has stopped working.

Because Derek is looking at him with the fiercest sort of pride and that is just something that Stiles was not expecting.   
At all.   
And then Derek starts talking and his brain stays frozen.

“You are amazing. I don’t put up with you Stiles. You are funny, most days, you’re devious and you are so fucking smart. You’re kind, and you’re strong and loyal and stupidly brave sometimes and sexy as hell. You took what happened to you and you didn’t let it change you who were. You didn’t let it ruin your life. You took it and you moved past it and you kept going with your life because while it’s significant it didn’t change who you are. You are not broken because of Jackson Whittemore.”

Aannd now he’s crying. Because that was what he’d feared most. That now Derek would know he was this broken man who wasn’t worth the effort.

But Derek didn’t think he was broken, not even a little and that destroyed any control Stiles had on his emotions at that point.

Derek was now on the bed with him, wrapped around him. Stiles let himself cry into his chest for a minute just so happy and relieved that Derek wasn’t mad, wasn’t leaving. After he calmed himself the hell down he realized he hadn’t even gotten to the part about tonight.

“That explains the ‘last time’ part, but what happened tonight, Stiles?”  
“I was walking home, duh. I was off campus by the time I noticed him. He’d been caught cheating again and with what happened last fall the school kicked him out. He jumped me because it was ‘all my fault’ that he was now expelled and had a criminal record. But this time he was drunk and he left after, well, somewhat minimal damage.”  
“I know you’ll say no but can I tell Laura why we’re going to put the fear of God into that guy? She’ll help but she likes to have reasons behind violence.”

Stiles looked up to meet Derek’s shimmering blue eyes.

“I’d say ‘don’t go after him’ or ‘violence isn’t the answer’ but I’m thinking what with werewolf healing and all that, violence might be the only thing to get his attention. Yeah, tell her and tell him why he’s getting the shit beat out of him. Why exactly is he getting the shit beat out of him?”

He threw in a cheeky grin towards the end.

“Because nobody hurts pack and gets away with it. Nobody hurts the people I love.”

Stiles buried his smile into Derek’s chest.

“I can live with that.”

 

They realize as they sit in the hospital just how long it’s been since either of them felt alone. Stiles put it into words. When they’re together they feel like they’re where they’re supposed to be.

Laura and Derek must really scare Jackson though. Stiles ends up with a card that apologizes and says he’s moving to London so Stiles won’t have to worry about him bothering him anymore. Stiles never asks what they did.

After Stiles heals up and opens up even more about the incident, they finally have sex. It's awkward and hilarious because halfway into things Derek gets the hiccups. They barely finish what they started they're laughing so hard.

The second time is better.

Third time: mind blowing.

 

By Christmas it's pretty much been decided they will be together for a really long time. Stiles asks if this makes him part of the pack now when they go home to the Hale house. Talia responds with a grocery list and a credit card shoved in his hand.

"You always were sweetie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all I've got for now! :) Hope it wasn't too terrible. Constructive criticism is always appreciated.


	6. Fix It

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's another 3k words on Derek taking care of Stiles after the fact and Talia's response to her pack being attacked. 
> 
> :)

After Stiles was cleared to leave the hospital Derek took him home. He parked the Camaro outside their houses. Stiles didn't have it in him to protest Derek carrying him up to his room. In the safety of his own house the night started to catch up with him. He made it through changing his clothes, with help from Derek, before he started to tremble.

They were standing next to the bed, Derek with his hands loosely on Stiles hips from helping him into his shirt. He just wanted to gather him up and make him feel better but he didn't want to make Stiles...uncomfortable; he didn't know what Stiles needed.

"D-Derek?"  
"Yeah?"

Stiles was staring resolutely at Derek's chest.

"Don't l-leave?"  
"I'm not going anywhere."

Derek echoed the words from the hospital.  
Stiles looked up at him in confusion.

"You're not hugging me."  
"I didn't want to...trigger anything. _Can_ I hug you?"  
"Yes. But not yet." He backed away a step. "I won't be able to let go. Can you do me a favor and go grab the big extra comforter that's in the hall closet."

 

Derek backed him up so he sat on the bed, gently held his face and kissed his forehead before he finally let go and left the room.

 

He ran quietly down the stairs to the kitchen and started the water boiling. He went to the hall closet and wrestled the blanket from its confines. By the time he was back in the kitchen the water was boiling. He grabbed a mug and filled Stiles TARDIS infuser to make the tea. He grabbed the comforter under one arm and carried the tea in the other. He made as much shuffling noise with his feet as he could so he didn't sneak up on Stiles.

He eased the door open and Stiles hadn't moved save for his head was in his hands and he was still shaking. Stiles raised his head when he heard Derek walk in. Derek passed over the tea.

"It needs to steep for another minute or two. What should I do with this?"

"Just put it along the wall? Like folded kinda the long way? ...I was thinking about what you said about being triggered. Don't look at me like that I don't want you to feel bad for doing something completely preventable. He- He came up behind me. He grabbed my shoulders to hold me down while he hit me. So maybe for tonight I'll avoid being little spoon? And just, when you had your hands on my waist I was fine so maybe stick with that?"

Derek tried to smile but Stiles sounded so timid and meek and he just wanted him to crack a joke or something.  
He swallowed his discomfort; this was about Stiles.

"I will do whatever you need me to do. I'm going to go change and lock up my house first though, ok?"

As he was talking he'd taken the tea back from Stiles and helped him shift on the bed so his back was against the headboard and pillows. Once he was settled he passed the tea back.

"Drink this and I'll be back soon."

He kissed his forehead again and turned to leave.

"Derek?" He waited at the door. "Don't uh, don't tell Laura. Or Scott. I'll do it tomorrow at breakfast."  
'Sounds good, I'll text them so they're both here."

With that he left. He ran across to his own house, changed quickly leaving his bloodied shirt to soak in the sink, and texted Laura and Scott about breakfast. He was back in Stiles' room as Stiles was finishing his tea.

"That was fast."

Derek just nods not commenting that he didn't want to leave Stiles alone any longer than he needed to.

"How do you want me?"

Stiles got a familiar gleam in his eyes.

" _All_ the ways. But for right now just come lay down."

Stiles laid with his back to the wall, cushioned by the comforter and pulled Derek down to lay facing him practically squishing him into the wall. He kept his face in Derek's chest and tried to calm down. When the shaking renewed Derek tangled their legs together and wrapped his arms completely around Stiles smaller frame. He ran one hand up and down his back and kept one still at his waist. He tried to pull some pain but the trembling continued.

"What can I do?"  
"T-talk to me? I can- I keep hearing his voice in my head still."  
"What did he say?"

Stile sniffed. "A bunch of things but the 'I'll kill you the next time I see your worthless face' is on repeat."

Derek couldn't even control the growl that rumbled in his chest. If he didn't feel like he was the one holding Stiles together he'd be out there searching with Laura to rip into the bastard.

"Oh. Oh that. That’s nice."

Stiles was burrowing in closer still and Derek snapped out of it and chuckled.

"Sorry. Stiles, he is never going to hurt you again. I promise. And you, you mean the world to me. Don't _ever_ believe that you're worthless. And as for your face, well."

He paused to hold Stiles face in his hands as he kissed him between each word.

"There is- no more attractive face- that I'd rather- wake up to- in the morning."

He kissed Stiles teary eyed smile.

"I promise to keep you safe. I promise."

Stile ducked his head back down.

"I promise."  
"Keep talking?"

Derek nodded and kept talking. He talked about how he loved the way Stiles eyes almost glowed when the sun made them a bright honey color. How he liked that underneath all the plaid were strong, firm muscles. How he probably loved cuddling more than Stiles did. He talked about the pack. He told Stiles stories from his childhood growing up with so many siblings.

Halfway through a story that involved Derek getting stuck in a tree while Josh and Laura left him, he heard Stiles heart beat even out and his body finally relax that last little bit. Derek relaxed his hold ever so slightly to check his phone.

Laura had texted him wondering where he was. He just told her Stiles needed him and to be at breakfast.

Stiles surprisingly slept through the night.  They woke up tangled with each other still.

They made their way down to the kitchen. Breakfast wasn’t going to be fancy. Mainly because Derek was the one cooking while Stiles sat at the table with his back only to Derek at the stove. A normal morning would include being smacked on the shoulder by Scott and having Laura plastered all over his back while he stood at the stove.

Those things would not happen this morning.

Luckily, Laura came over right as Scott came down the stairs and he got to explain it all in one fell swoop. All three wolves bristled at the description of his attack. They couldn’t bear to have a member of their pack get hurt, much less at the hands of another werewolf. After stories were told, a schedule was made to walk Stiles home, and the dishes were done, Stiles returned to his room determined to get through finals.

 

Derek went back to his house with Laura. He wasn’t staying long; just long enough to grab a bag of clothes, his computer, and his books. He wasn’t going to smother Stiles but he wasn’t going to leave him alone either. From the looks Laura was giving him he was probably riding the line between those two. She followed him up to his room.

“So are you going to let mom make him tell that story or you going to try and do it for him?”  
“At this point? All I can hope for is the ‘privacy’ of the study. Mom’s not that bad if its just one on one and not the whole pack staring him down. I’ll stay with him but there’s no way she’ll let me just tell the story for him. Not when she sees the bruises.”  
“Have you told him he’s going to have to do that?”  
“I figured I’d wait until today.”

 

Derek went back to Stiles house. Surprisingly he accepted his new roommate with no protests. Which was fine with Derek because he really needed to make Stiles feel safe. Stiles only sighed when he told him he’d have to explain the attack to both of Derek’s parents. Well, the alpha specifically. They both made it through finals almost as if nothing had happened over the weekend. Stile professors had granted him extensions but he didn’t use them. He just wanted to be done. They were driving home when Stiles brought it up.

 

“Is it weird that all I want to do right now is go to your house not mine? I just want a hug from Lizzy or your mom and sit at the table with everyone around me and and- where the hell does that come from? I don’t even want to go to my house.”

 “You’re weird.” Derek deadpanned. “No, seriously, its fine. You kind of- accepted being in the pack really _really_ quickly. Remember when I said Lizzy’s hug shouldn’t have affected you like it did? It wouldn’t be odd to think you wouldn’t react to the other pack interactions any less quickly. Not to embarrass you but you want to see your alpha and let her take care of you, which, I will say is going to happen.”

Stiles cringed.

“Is she going to freak out when she sees my face?”  
“Probably, but not at you. She’ll just be mad you’re hurt.”  
“Have you told her anything?”

Derek had the nerve to be sheepish. The irony is not lost on Stiles.

“You haven’t even told her I got hurt have you?”  
“I was more focused on making sure you felt safe and passing my finals.”  
“Yeah, yeah.”

Stiles couldn’t blame him. He braced himself for anything as they pulled up to the house.

“Is everyone here?”  
“They should all be home for supper, yeah.”  
“Great.”

He pulled himself out of the car while Derek grabbed their bags. Lizzy came running out to greet them both.

“Stiles! You’re hurt!”

She ran up and hugged his legs. He ran his good hand over her hair as she looked up at him. He opened his arm and picked her up on his good side.

“I am Lizzy girl. I really think a hug would make me feel better though.”

She put her arms around his neck, put her head on his shoulder and gently squeezed him in a hug as he carried her up the steps. Derek walked in the house in front of him and Lizzy. They made it to the living room as Talia walked in from the kitchen. She was looking at her phone as she walked.

“Stiles so glad-“

She stopped short when she saw him. She quickly set her phone down and strode over, took Lizzy from him and wrapped him in a hug.

“Stiles are you ok?”  
Stiles sniffed. “Getting there.”

Everyone was either in the kitchen or the living room when Derek spoke up.

“Mom, can we take this to the study?”

She pulled back from Stiles to smile at him.

“Of course, come on.”

 

She led the way, grabbing Andrew’s hand and bringing him with as well. They all filed into the small, dim room. Stiles and Derek sat in the chairs opposite the broad desk while Talia sat behind it with Andrew standing at her side. Stiles was trembling. He’d been holding it together to get through finals but he was just tired now. Derek looked at him confused but took his hand anyway.

“What happened, boys?”  
“Remember that secret I said I had?”

Stiles then recounted the entirety of both attacks to Talia and Andrew. He kept his eyes on his lap for most of it. At the end of it all he looked up to meet glowing red eyes; his own swimming in tears.

“What would you have us do, Stiles?”

“I- Like I said, the first time I did things my way, well, my dad’s way. I don’t know the right response towards him. All I know is I want to be able to go back to school and feel safe. Just. I don’t want to be afraid anymore.”  
“We’re going to help with that. Derek why don’t you take Stiles up to your room so he can rest.”

 

Stiles stood and Derek followed him to the door. Stiles wasn’t afraid of his mom so Derek couldn’t figure out why he was trembling again. He hadn’t been this shaky since the night of the attack. He walked to the center of Derek’s room while Derek closed the door. He turned and it was like something snapped and Stiles just crumpled into himself.

 

“I’m not ok Derek. I’m not. I- I held it together for finals but I’m not alright.”  
Derek was walking over as Stiles pulled his hands through hair.  
“I keep hearing his voice Derek. Everything he said…it’s on repeat in my brain and it never stops.”

 The last word breaks on a sob as Derek gathers him in his arms and moves them to the bed.

“Hey, its-“  
“Ok?” Stiles snorts wetly.  
“Fine it’s not ok. But its alright to let yourself be affected Stiles. Its ok to not be ok.”  
“You really need to work on using your words still.”

 

Derek let Stiles cry into his chest for a few minutes. Once he calmed down again he passed him a Kleenex. After he’d used a couple of them to clean away the tears and snot Derek threw them all in the trash.

“Lizzy’s outside the door,” Derek whispered. “Can she come in, she’s been whining?”  
“Yeah. Lizzy you can come in.”

 Stiles said out loud. The door swung open and Lizzy and Laura walked in. Laura took the opposite side that Derek wasn’t laying on and cuddled in while Lizzy laid right on his chest.

 

“Stiles boo, you know you’re safe here right?”  
“I know Laura, pretty sure that’s why I broke down in the first place.”

 

They stayed on the bed until supper was ready. Everyone had heard the story and Stiles was grateful he didn’t have to repeat it all again. Supper was normal if maybe missing some chatter from Stiles. After the meal the family settled in to play cards. Stiles and Lizzy curled up on the couch to watch some Disney movies.

 After making it through Frozen and Tangled Lizzy was falling asleep. Stiles put Hercules in and by the time he was humming "Right where I belong" she was asleep.  Derek came and sat with him after Josh put Lizzy to bed. They were at the point of "your basic DID: Damsel in Distress." 

"You're totally Meg."  
"Because that makes you Hercules?"  
"I do have the muscles for it."

They keep watching too lazy to get up and change it. 

"Huh, maybe I am Meg."  
"Why would you agree now- she just threw herself under a falling column and got hurt- no. Absolutely not Stiles. Do you think this is your fault?"

 Stiles looked at his hands. 

"Not _all_ my fault but it is kinda-"

He's stopped when Talia lightly cuffs the back of his head as she walks behind the sofa. 

"Sweetie, I thought you were smart. None of what happened to you is your fault. The blame for all of it is 100% on Jackson Whittemore."

 

“Besides, look at Hercules, if he had been paying attention better she wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place.”  
“Hey, if I’m not allowed to blame myself you aren’t either.”  
“I should have-“  
“Done exactly what you did.”  
“I should have kept you _safe._ ”  
“You have made me _feel_ safe nearly every minute afterwards.”

As if to illustrate his point he wiggled in Derek’s embrace. They watched the end of the movie before Derek carried him up to bed.  
He wasn’t really complaining but it was kind of weird. He really felt like Meg.

Derek helped a half-asleep Stiles into his pajamas and the bed. Stiles perked up when Derek walked away instead of laying down.

“Where are you going?”  
“I have to go talk to my mom.”  
“About Jackson?”  
“Yeah, about Jackson.”  
“OK, hurry back.”

Stiles snuggled under the covers a little more and as Derek listened to his heartbeat it evened out into the slow, steady rhythm that meant he was asleep. Derek went down to the study again. Laura and his parents were already in there.

“Now I know you two feel the same way I do. I want to find that smug pup and teach him a lesson. Stiles probably doesn’t want us to do anything too drastic to him but we will be doing something.”

“What are you thinking mom? Chase him out of town?”  
  
“Laura, we’re going to use our _brains_ and get him out of the _country_. I know his alpha and I knew his parents. His parents were lovely people but he is just a boy who grew up entitled and conceited and it shows in the man he’s becoming. I think I’ll call his alpha and suggest his beta study in London for a while. That way when he comes running in practically demanding he gets out of the country the idea has already been planted.”

“Why’s he going to beg to get out of the country?” Laura’s eyes were glowing in excitement.

The alpha’s demeanor couldn’t be described as anything but predatory.

“Derek dear, is there a basement on your townhouse?”  
“There’s a cellar.”  
“Oh good.”

\---

Derek and Laura found him stumbling drunk in an alley. It was easy enough to knock him out and wrap the blindfold around his eyes and ears. Talia had let them use it as it blocked out any senses the werewolf had. They drug him back and down into the cellar of their house.

 

They waited for him to wake up.  
Then they let him sit there until he was sober.  
Then they let him sit in the dark silence a little longer.

 

Derek was having trouble controlling his desire to simply rip his throat out. But his alpha’s plan was a good one. He could do this. Have fun even.

 

The two siblings stalked a circle around their prey.  
Laura took the blindfold off and Jackson flinched.

“What do you want? Who are you?” He snarled.

They stopped; Laura in front of him and Derek in his blind spot behind him.

“He’s my best friend.”  
“He’s a member of the Hale pack.”  
“You’ve hurt him twice now.”  
“You hurt my pack brother-“  
“We hurt you.”  
“There isn’t a place you can run-“  
“-or hide that we won’t find you-”  
“you _worthless_ bastard.”

 

“Stiles? This is about that little fucker Stiles?!”

 

Derek hit him. He probably broke his jaw. It was as good a starting place as any.  
The fuckers ability to still seem self-righteous fueled their anger.

 

“ _Yes Stiles._ ” Derek growled.

 

\---

 

Three hours later they dropped the now beaten and broken Jackson in the alley Derek had found Stiles in. He was unconscious as they dragged him up from the cellar was still out cold. They left the note Talia had written explaining he would kindly leave the country or there would be more than just broken bones to deal with. He was also to inform Stiles that he would leave him alone without mentioning any of the methods used by Derek and Laura.

After they dropped him in the alley, in the rain no less, they crawled back in the car.

 

“I’ll go clean up the blood on the stairs, Der. Good thing the cellar has a dirt floor. Nothing to clean there.”  
“I’ll call mom and tell her it’s done and we’ll be back soon.”

The siblings smiled at each other.

 

 

Three days later Stiles got a card in the mail at the Hale house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jackson got the shit beat out of him. Because I'm pretty sure Derek and Laura working together would just be terrifying in and of itself.


	7. The goal is not to hurt Stiles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The goal is not to hurt Stiles, but how else do you hurt a werewolf who heals?

Andrew Hale is a relatively quiet man. At least, compared to his wife and daughters he’s quiet. He is a man who is proud of his family at all times. Despite what Laura and Derek may think, even their having been duped by hunters isn’t enough to diminish his love for his children. He is a man who loves his wife, loves being a husband and loves being a father. Talia may be the alpha, but they are co-leaders in their house hold. They are a family like any other; the main difference is they deal with more violent things threatening them. Instead of gossip they fight claws and bullets; well they have gossip too, mainly surrounding the guns and good looks. He’s proud he and Talia have quite literally, a beautiful family. As if any human coming from Talia would be anything but stunning. With her dark hair and fair skin and her leadership and her lovely red alpha eyes…off topic.

He thinks he’s even done a good job of being a father. He knows he does a better job than that Lahey man in town. But he’s seen the Sheriff and his son around enough to know that nothing compares to their relationship after Claudia died. Still, he has good relationships with his children. His oldest, Josh has paid him the best compliment a child can: he became a good parent himself. Julia joined into their pack of wolves and humans easily coming from a pack herself. Andrew is absolutely entranced with Lizzy. Her discernment of who should be allowed into the family is nearly spot on. With Laura he raised a daughter who won’t take shit from any man or wolf. She has all the fire of her mother and the fight from her father. Talia and Andrew encouraged their children to find an outlet growing up; something to do to use up their excess energy. Josh had played basketball, Laura and Cora both had gotten into Martial Arts, Derek had played baseball and the youngest both ran track. Cora was feisty but not as fierce as Laura. She preferred to think strategically where Laura would jump to fights and conclusions. The twins were still coming into their own personality. He had a feeling they would be something of a creative type. For how many books Tommy was reading and for how much time Jill spent on a computer he figured they would end up with a less physical vocation than their siblings. They took after Derek in that respect.

Derek was the middle child who tried not to get middle child syndrome. Andrew thinks that he and Talia have a part in that too. Derek is also a physically active person but he was always the academic of the family. He loved college and even now he can understand getting away again after the incident with the hunters. Andrew hopes that Derek knows they don’t blame him for anything or think poorly of him because of Kate.

If Andrew had to pick a favorite he wouldn’t be able to but he does think that he and Derek get along the best. The boy’s sharp wit, depth of knowledge, dry humor and endless sass. It made for a couple interesting teenage years when the sass and sarcasm combined with hormones and teenage angst. The boy always did wear his heart on his sleeve though. Andrew figures that’s what that Kate woman noticed in the first place. It’s not that his son is easily manipulated. It’s that sometimes he forgets that people will use his emotions against him. Kate did it and after he found out Andrew was worried Derek would close off forever.

He was right to a degree. He watched his son close off into himself for a few months and then move one city over ready to start over a little. He nearly laughed when it took him less than a day to meet someone and then that someone was Stiles the Sheriff’s son.

Well, he _did_ laugh.

Honestly though his son was so drunk he crawled through the poor boy’s window instead of his own?  
Only his kid.

The week of Thanksgiving they were all looking forward to meeting Stiles officially, especially since he knew their family’s biggest secret. Then the mess with Kate taking Cora and the Sheriff getting shot in the process of finding her happened. They’re in the middle of that when Derek calls that Stiles is having a panic attack. The boys end up coming home for the holiday early so Stiles can see his father as soon as possible. When they call that they’re on the way from the hospital Andrew takes it on himself to occupy Lizzy. His wife will make sure the rest of the family avoid interrogations but Lizzy takes someone’s full concentration. A person doesn’t need to deal with a parent being shot, a panic attack and a judgmental 6 year old. Lizzy managed to sneak away from him though and all he could do was try to scold her when she flat out asked why Stiles smelled sad when she hugged him. Sheesh. Later, he struggled to hold his laughter in when Talia, dear Talia, asked the most awkward questions in the history of parent interrogations. Later that night Andrew pulled Stiles aside to have his own talk with him. His talk was more along the lines of how to deal with the Hale pack; to his credit Stiles just smiled and took it all in stride. In fact, he’s fitting in almost better than Julia did at first. 

Oh boy, he’s going to end up with another son isn’t he?  
That idea is all but cemented over the Christmas holiday when Stiles is attacked and _the pack_ retaliates instead of the Sheriff. 

But now, this mess, this whole damn mess is just not good. Someone else has noticed that Derek is very open with his weakness. It’s really not hard to see that protecting Stiles is his first priority. It’s also crystal clear that the way to hurt the werewolf with supernatural healing is to hurt those he loves. It would be idiotic to try and kidnap any of the pack that live in Beacon Hills and good luck to anyone who lays a hand on Laura Hale. The easiest person to abduct is Stiles. It’s just a fact. It has less to do with the fact that he’s a human and more to do with his separation from the rest of the pack and Talia. It would be more difficult even if he lived in the city of Beacon Hills, let alone if he lived in the Hale House.

But as it is, the boys live 40 miles away and Stiles has his own house and doesn’t spend every minute with Derek or even Scott. The whole thing reeks of Gerard Argent getting revenge for his daughter’s incarceration. If it is Gerard Argent, it wouldn’t matter if Stiles was a werewolf or not. Stiles would be a target to get at the Sheriff, it’s probably a bonus for Gerard that it directly affects the Hale pack now too.

\---

Lately Derek has been caught staring at Stiles sometimes when they are together. It could be them doing homework, making supper, or watching a movie; Stiles will look up and grin a certain way and Derek knows he's got a vacant expression on his face. Now he’s staring at Stiles, again. But this time is different. No glossy eyes, no detached thoughts, no daydreams.

Because Stiles had been missing for 4 days and now Derek is staring at a broken Stiles.  
Watching him get broken.  
Because when you can't hurt a super healing werewolf physically you do it in other more lasting ways.

All in all Derek is fine. Loosely bound to a nice chair with wolfs bane rope that's not even burning his skin. The room he's in is comfortably lit as if he were sitting down at home to watch a movie. Even the room temperature is normal, not hot not cold. But Derek has been subjected to watching recordings of Stiles being repeatedly tortured. He's watched the hunters shift from basic physical beatings to more rigorous interrogation. When Derek could hear him snark and deflect their questions he couldn't help but feel proud when Stiles gives nothing away. But pride is short lived because Derek's more afraid of what they will do next.

Derek knows Stiles can take the physical side of things. He may be human but his ability to put the safety of others before his own well-being is what Stiles uses to not let it get to him. He feels the pain sure but somewhere in his mind Derek knows he's thinking "better me than someone else." All Derek can hope is that the hunters don't catch on to that. He can't help but hate himself for wishing they'd just keep hitting Stiles instead of turning to a method closer to what he's currently experiencing. They both have enough in the past that has made them different, gives them an alternate perspective than the rest of the world. Derek is praying they don't try to break his mind, his spirit.

But any hope he had fades when he sees the time stamp change again as it did when their method switched earlier. They'd left the room the camera was trained on to take a break and left Stiles. The time jump was only ten minutes but Derek soon saw why. One of the men produced a dark cloth sack. No, oh please no. They do nothing and say nothing but put the sack over his head and leave. It must be a thick enough material that no light is let through and to compound the effect they turn the lights off too.

Derek realizes belatedly that now there's no audio. Is that worse? Before he could hear the strained breathing and the whimpers when Stiles was left alone. Now he couldn't even hear his angry mumbles or his pained groans. All he could do was watch the night vision recording. The time stamp jumped again another 20 minutes ahead. Now when he sees Stiles, his chest is heaving and then it gets shallower; faster breaths. Derek watches in agony as Stiles passes out mid panic attack. Then the time fast forwards to show the lack of interaction they have with Stiles for the next 2 hours.

They know and Derek knows that whenever Stiles regains consciousness he will have no way of knowing how much time has passed causing more distress.

But then the lights are on the hood is ripped off and Derek sees the sheer panic on Stiles face and he watched Stiles try to school his expression. Not show just how much this tactic is working. The audio is back and they're asking questions and Stiles isn't answering. The sack is replaced and Derek flinched as the man winds up to hit a completely unaware Stiles. It must have the desired effect because the audio is gone and the hunters leave Stiles in the dark. Again. Time fast forwards again another 3 hours but Derek doubts if Stiles even dozed at all in that time. Somewhere in the middle it had slowed down to normal speed and the audio is loud against the silence. It nearly guts him to hear Stiles crying, pleading for Derek.

“Where are you? What's taking so long? I'm tired Derek.”

Another hour or so passes on the clock before the lights flick on as well as the audio. He watches as they circle Stiles. Stalking him like lions. He hears the questions and only after they've threatened to leave him again does he break down in front of his captors. They renew their questions. Through tears he hears...lies.

Stiles is lying.

Pretty convincingly but lies nonetheless. He's getting just close enough to the truth to be believable in some cases. Derek nearly missed it when his sighs in relief at the question, "how do you trap a werewolf?" "Wormwood." "How do you poison one?" "You, you use..."

But Derek doesn't hear the end because he finally knows why the rope isn't burning and why he was only knocked out for a short time and why he felt his pack getting closer through their bond. These people believed Stiles. Derek notices the time stamp finally matches the actual time, he's watching the feed live now. As they leave, seemingly satisfied with Stiles newest answers they stab a syringe into his neck and push the plunger down, releasing who knows what into his system. When the door shuts Derek can just make out Stiles talking.

"Derek when you get here you're going to have to not kill them all."

He watched Stiles shake his head furiously; eyes wide and searching.

"I can't see."

His own captor finally speaks again.

"You see? He betrays you. And don't worry about his vision. Just another means to bring temporary panic. See we noticed that little panic attack. Figured we play to his strengths. He'll be fine- well, he'll see in a few hours."

Since he'd been taken Derek had only ever asked a singular question. He's come this far so he just repeats it again. 

"Where is he?"

This time he gets an answer.

"Oh he's just down the hall. Haven't decided if we just kill him ourselves or if we give him back to you so you can do it."

The man is misreading Derek's anger at his captors as anger at Stiles. Derek let's him keep that assumption. The pack is close, he can hear a door open to the building and never close. Now is his chance and he's not about to waste it. He waits until he can hear the pack start to take out the hunters on the other side of the door before he's clawing through the ropes with ease stalking over to his now shocked and terrified captor. He makes quick work of getting out of the room, claws securely around the man's throat pulling him along. He emerges to find the pack successfully standing over the subdued, unconscious hunters. He tosses the man from his grip into Laura and Josh’s hold.

"Keep him alive, and awake."

Then he's tearing down the hallway desperately trying to find the room Stiles is in. He's burst through 3 closed doors before he finds the dark room Stiles had been left in. He flinches when Derek opens the door. Derek realizes he doesn't know who's coming in the door.

"Stiles..."

It comes out miles beyond concerned and lands somewhere closer to choked with emotions Derek has kept pent up for the last 4 days his boyfriend has been missing. But Stiles visibly relaxes; his head tips back onto the edge of the chair.

"For the love of all that is holy what took you so damn long?"

Derek doesn't answer he just moves across the room to let him free. He's kneeling down to take the restraints off his ankles when Stiles looks down at him.

"This isn't fair. I can't see you and you're on your knees for me."

His voice is rough from screaming and crying; there’s still tears trailing down his face and he’s making jokes.

"Stiles keep your eyes closed."  
"Why? I can't see either way."  
"Because whatever they shot you up with is dilating your pupils, you'll over expose your eyes if you keep them open right now."  
"Oh. I knew you could see me. Were they making you watch?"  
"Yeah."

Stiles was free that this point. But Derek didn't help him up he just walked over to the table in the room.

"Derek?"

He didn't answer again, choosing to use actions. Stiles felt the cloth of the hood cover his eyes. He balked.

"I just- now you can open your eyes if you want."

Stiles wasn't that worried it was a knee jerk reaction still to flinch away.

"Sorry.”

Derek tied the blindfold gently around his eyes and picked him up.

“Please don’t apologize, Stiles. It’s- This is-“  
“-not your fault and you’re not going to blame yourself.”

Derek shakes his head but they’re back to the front of the building where his family is waiting. The hunters have been subdued and the man who was in the room with Derek was now unconscious. From the way he’s gone limp in Derek’s arms Stiles has passed out again. His family doesn’t attempt to talk to him so he just climbs into the back of his dad’s SUV with Stiles in his arms. They can’t rightly take him to hospital without an explanation. Their only option is to take him back to the house. Derek watches his dad call the Sheriff on their way and tries to calm down.

He feels so utterly relieved and guilty at the same time. The last few days have been hell. They’d get updates with the ‘progress’ of the torture. Each picture just showed more bruises and injuries. Having him back and in his arms is the sweetest kind of relief. But he feels guilty that Stiles was hurt, that he pulled Stiles further into this world in the first place, that if his dad is right and it was the Argents that this is really his fault because it all leads back to him and Kate. Stiles deserves somebody better; somebody who’s past doesn’t include psychotic hunters. But as he carries the unconscious body of his bruised boyfriend into his home and to his bed he doesn’t know if he has the strength to make him leave.

His dad kicks Laura out of the room because she’s the only one of the family to even bother following all the way into Derek’s room. Which, fine, her and Stiles have gotten close since this whole thing started. But still, a little space would be nice and Derek’s just glad his dad gets that. It’s just Derek sitting on the bed next to Stiles while his mom checks him over and starts to treat his wounds. His dad sits in the chair by the bookcase and is there for moral support he assumes. The room is quiet as Talia works and they all wait for either Stiles to wake up or the Sheriff to show up. The room is also dark from the shades being shut and the door closed to the hallway so Derek takes the makeshift blindfold off Stiles face. All three flinch as they hear Stiles heartbeat pick up as he starts to wake up. Before any of them can even say anything Stiles is awake and he’s panicking.

As smoothly as he can Derek slides himself behind his screaming boyfriend and grabs him gently.

His dad is up out of the chair to stand at the door so nobody can rush in and flood the room with light.

"Stiles! Stiles it's okay. You're okay. I've got you, Stiles. You're safe!"

As Derek talked to him Stiles stopped thrashing and yelling and eventually slumped in Derek's arms. His heart rate is still alarmingly high though; he's still panicked.

"Sorry-," he croaks, "I thought- thought you getting me was a dream and I'd woken up still in the chair- with the hood on."  
"Stiles, sweetheart, would you please stop apologizing?" Talia says as she reaches to grab one of his hands.

Stiles sighs as she takes away some of his pain. He gets a cheeky grin on his face.

"Sorry."

Andrew snorts. Stiles is finally calming down.

"What's the damage?"  
"Bruised maybe broken ribs, you're going to have some impressive bruising on your face dear and you seem to be fairly severely dehydrated and mildly starved."

Derek raises an eyebrow in question from where his face is buried in Stiles neck.

"Just mildly starved?"  
"You can go a lot longer without food than you can with water. How long was I gone exactly?"  
"Four days."

Talia answers and Stiles just nods, like it's no big deal. Like he hadn't been kidnapped and held prisoner for 4 days and tortured and beaten.

"You called my dad right?"  
"Of course dear, we called him as soon as we had you in the car. He knows you're safe and should be here soon."

Stiles just nods again and leans back against Derek completely.

"You comfortable back there worry wolf?"

Derek can't help the growl in his chest at that.

"Seriously? Stiles, you were kidnapped from your favorite library on your way to come home to supper with me. In the rain too, so say goodbye to a scent trail. At which point the hunters took you to their base and beat you while periodically finding time to send me pictures from your phone of your injuries. Until they grabbed me and had me watch you be tortured. Do not _tease_ me for worrying."

Somewhere in there Stiles had begun using his free hand to rub it up and down Derek's arm that's wrapped around his waist so what started as a slightly aggravated rant ended more of a soft plea as he calmed down. He realizes that instead of being the one to calm down the other who just had a panic attack he’s the one being soothed. His spine loosens and he pulls Stiles closer to his chest.

“Stiles, I’m just- just really glad you’re ok. And I’m so sorry this happened. Its-“  
“Not your fault.”  
“If I hadn’t been selfish and pulled you into this world-“  
“I would have been used as my dad’s weak spot by Gerard instead of yours and my dad’s.”

Well, that’s- what?

“What?”  
“Derek-“ he coughs. “No, wait, can I have some water before this rant?”

Talia and Andrew chuckle before Talia leaves to get some water. Derek watches his dad walk away from the door and over to the bed and squeeze Stiles shoulder.

“Son, really. You know you’re dating a smart man. Why is it so confusing that he would understand exactly what just happened to him?”

Uh, huh?

“Both of you stop apologizing because all of this is the fault of Gerard Argent. He-“  
“But those hunters weren’t Argent foots soldiers. They believed Stiles lies.”  
“You really don’t think Gerard would distance himself by sending inexperienced hunters to take out the weak spot of the pack his son has a truce with but he has a vendetta with? Come on Derek. I’ll grant you haven’t seen his breakdown since Kate was incarcerated. But he went crazy with resentment; both towards us and the Sheriff. If you weren’t dating Stiles think of how much longer it would have taken for anybody to know he was taken. Let alone found.”

It’s been awhile since his dad has made him feel so stupid in such few words. He finds himself holding onto Stiles tighter again. His mom chooses that moment to walk in the door with a glass of water.

“Derek, dear let him go you’re crushing poor Stiles.”

He loosens his arms immediately and the air rushes out of Stiles, who huffs a laugh.

“Now that you can apologize for, dude. I love you, but _bruises_ , big guy.”

The whole room laughs softly; the attitude in the room is pretty lighthearted considering. They don’t talk about what the hunters did to Stiles or make him relive any of what happened. They do talk about how the talk that Stiles had had with Andrew at Thanksgiving warned him that something like this could happen. How it wasn’t based on Stiles being a human, that just made it easier, it was based on the position Stiles held in the pack. He’s a new member, but very important to Derek, the Sheriff and the pack as a whole.

Mid conversation Stiles gasped as his vision started to return. Everything was fuzzy but it was a good sign he could see anything and whatever was in his system was leaving. It took another half an hour before the wolves perked up like they’d heard something. Derek could feel Stiles breathe in like he was going to ask what was happening but he doesn’t have to because the Sheriff is just there at the door with Melissa McCall. Derek shuffles himself out from behind Stiles so his father can get to him. He goes and stands next to his own father while the Stilinski men have their moment. After the teary eyed hug Melissa got her own before she began her own examination started. She’d brought an IV with her that should help replace his fluids and nutrients as well.

After Stiles has repeated that he’s fine and everything is okay about a thousand times to both sets of parents they leave Stiles and Derek alone. They talk about it all once they’re alone and Stiles vision is coming back. Derek still feels like shit for the whole mess though. He doesn’t try to leave Stiles until he’s sleeping somewhat peacefully. Even then he lays on the bed awake until he hears John and Melissa leave and the rest of the family go to bed. Once the house is quiet and asleep he makes his way down to the kitchen and pours himself a drink.

\---

Andrew isn’t asleep yet when he hears Derek leave his room and go down to the kitchen. If he knows his son, and he likes to think he does, Derek will still be wallowing in guilt and blaming himself. He walks into the kitchen and oh, what do you know he’s slumped over a drink at the kitchen table. For a college graduate getting his masters he sure is dumb sometimes.

“Derek.” His son’s head snaps up. “What are you doing?”

He just grunts and takes another drink. Oh, boy.

“Kid, listen to me.”

He waits for Derek to look up and finally make eye contact.

“You are a strong member of this family. You are an asset to this pack. You are strong, kind, and intelligent. The weakness you have is that you wear your heart on your sleeve. And son, that’s ok. That is a good weakness to have. You care about people and it’s really easy to see. The problem is what the people you keep around you do with it. Kate abused it, Stiles never will. You are not responsible for Kate’s manipulation or Gerard’s subsequent manipulation. You _are_ responsible for letting him continue to manipulate you.”

That got his attention again; he finally got a reaction from his son.

“Derek, the goal was not to hurt Stiles. Those hunters, new and dumb as they may have been, they were capable of at the least inflicting more pain at most they could have killed him. Don’t growl at me think. If end game was to hurt Stiles he’d be hurt. The goal of this whole mess was to hurt you Derek. To hurt you and the Sheriff in revenge for Kate’s downfall. Don’t let him win by blaming yourself for Stiles injuries. Don’t give him the satisfaction of making you miserable for something that is not your fault. Sure, you could have been there. But I know you and I’m starting to know Stiles; you can’t be with each other every minute of every day. We did our best, we got him back, he’s ok. I’m not going to let you brood and be miserable over something you are not responsible for. So stand up wash that glass and then get back in bed with the man you love. Stop apologizing and leave Gerard Argent and what he’s done to the Sheriff and your mother. Now.”

He’s glad that Derek listens the first time because that was all the demanding tone he could muster at this hour. He’s tired, sue him. He follows Derek up the stairs and watches him go back to his bedroom. Andrew continues down the hallway and crawls back into bed next to his wife with what would probably be called a smug grin.

“You always did get lucky with your improv speeches.”  
“Remember the one when Josh wasn’t going to ask Julia to prom?”

He could hear his wife smiling and rolled over to kiss her cheek and wrap her in his arms.

“This one should work out about the same for them in the long term too, you think?”  
“Yes, honey. You pulled Derek out of his brooding and made him see sense. You are a miracle worker and it will show when they’re still together years from now and give us more grandbabies.”

Andrew rolls back to his side of the bed with a smile still on his face.

“Well, you’re going to regret the sarcasm when that comes true.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> UPDATE: ok there's going to be a sequel because I like this AU and I'm avoiding school.


	8. Part 2

For those who subscribed to this back when I posted this story initially there is a sequel I'm writing and the first chapter is up!


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